Unauthorised ticket checkers pocket fine money on buses
City Depot Managers Assign Juniors Illegal Task
Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com 15.04.2018
Chennai: Unauthorised ticket checking inspectors (CIs) at work on Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses are siphoning off funds collected from passengers for ticket-less travel.
MTC recently intensified ticket checking operations, as the number of passengers travelling without buying a ticket increased after the bus fare hike. Taking advantage of this increased surveillance, depot managers have illegally asked junior-rank officers to work as CIs. The fine collected by such staff is not accounted, allege transport workers unions.
In a video clip shot by one of the passengers available with TOI, a group of men wearing white shirts, are seen boarding a crowded MTC bus at Dunlop bus stand near Ambattur on Friday morning. These men identified themselves as special squad constituted by the local manager to keep a tab on ticket-less travel. None of these men carried the usual name badge (containing employee ID). Instead, they wore a ‘badge’ made of paper. Though the conductor grew suspicious, he didn’t stop the team as he was uncertain.
One passenger in his late sixties, who was travelling on the bus using his concession pass, couldn’t produce his ID card and is seen apologising to the team in the video clip. His repeated claims that he forgot to carry his ID proof along failed to convince the ‘ticket checkers’. The ‘special checking squad’ threatened to penalise the old man, and were forced to alight from the bus after other passengers raised objections.
This team constituted by the Ambattur depot manager is completely illegal. The manager instructed his subordinates in the rank of conductors to work as CIs, said K Anbazhgan of Nethaji Transport Union. “The fund collected by this team is unaccounted”. Only conductors with more than 20 years of experience are promoted as CIs.
Despite repeated attempts, MTC authorities refused to comment on this issue. More than 200 odd eligible conductors were not promoted as CIs in the last 12 months. At present, there are hardly 50 CIs to keep a check on 3,000 MTC buses plying across the city and suburbs.
A video grab showing a ‘ticket checker’ in action
City Depot Managers Assign Juniors Illegal Task
Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com 15.04.2018
Chennai: Unauthorised ticket checking inspectors (CIs) at work on Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses are siphoning off funds collected from passengers for ticket-less travel.
MTC recently intensified ticket checking operations, as the number of passengers travelling without buying a ticket increased after the bus fare hike. Taking advantage of this increased surveillance, depot managers have illegally asked junior-rank officers to work as CIs. The fine collected by such staff is not accounted, allege transport workers unions.
In a video clip shot by one of the passengers available with TOI, a group of men wearing white shirts, are seen boarding a crowded MTC bus at Dunlop bus stand near Ambattur on Friday morning. These men identified themselves as special squad constituted by the local manager to keep a tab on ticket-less travel. None of these men carried the usual name badge (containing employee ID). Instead, they wore a ‘badge’ made of paper. Though the conductor grew suspicious, he didn’t stop the team as he was uncertain.
One passenger in his late sixties, who was travelling on the bus using his concession pass, couldn’t produce his ID card and is seen apologising to the team in the video clip. His repeated claims that he forgot to carry his ID proof along failed to convince the ‘ticket checkers’. The ‘special checking squad’ threatened to penalise the old man, and were forced to alight from the bus after other passengers raised objections.
This team constituted by the Ambattur depot manager is completely illegal. The manager instructed his subordinates in the rank of conductors to work as CIs, said K Anbazhgan of Nethaji Transport Union. “The fund collected by this team is unaccounted”. Only conductors with more than 20 years of experience are promoted as CIs.
Despite repeated attempts, MTC authorities refused to comment on this issue. More than 200 odd eligible conductors were not promoted as CIs in the last 12 months. At present, there are hardly 50 CIs to keep a check on 3,000 MTC buses plying across the city and suburbs.
A video grab showing a ‘ticket checker’ in action
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