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Tamil Nadu
TNSTC struggles to pay compensation
| To victims involved in accidents caused by its buses |
Hopeless: A bus attached by the court at Pudukottai for non-disbursement of compensation to the bereaved.
PUDUKOTTAI: Non-payment of compensation ordered by the court to the victims of road mishaps involving the buses belonging to the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has been causing a concern to the affected members, more so in the case of bereaved families.
Delay on the part of the TNSTC in paying off the compensation forces them to seek remedial measures by filing execution petitions.
Every time the court orders attachment of a bus, the TNSTC authorities swing into action, either ensuring expeditious payment of the compensation or in submitting an undertaking with the court assuring speedy disbursement of the same, to get the vehicle released from the court campus.
About 15 buses had been attached in the last calendar year 2007 at the bus stand in Pudukottai town for non-payment of compensation to the affected persons or the bereaved family members.
A maximum of three buses were attached a couple of days ago, following the court order on an execution petition filed by three families affected by road accidents in the past few years.
The authorities made immediate arrangements for the payment of the compensation. According to the TNSTC officials, dearth of funds was one of the major reasons hindering the expeditious payment of compensation. Expenditure for ensuring daily operation and maintenance of the fleet has escalated over the years. Adequate allocation should be made exclusively for paying off the compensation to the road accident vicitims.
The general secretary of the Pudukottai region of the CITU, S. Balasubramanian, says that the problem did not arise in the case of private buses as the private fleet operators insured the vehicles. Similar effort should be taken by the TNSTC for ensuring expeditious payment of compensation.
Agreeing with this view, the TNSTC sources said that the Corporation insured the buses and paid the premium with the insurance companies till two decades ago. However, the scheme was scrapped on economic grounds and the Corporation decided to pay off the compensation from its own resources.
With the number of road accident cases involving State run buses on the rise, the TNSTC found it difficult to pay off the compensation. As for insuring the TNSTC buses, the sources said that it was a policy matter to be decided by the State Government.
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