Chennai, Aug 20 (IANS) The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) of Chennai has decided to extend private recruitment of drivers and conductors to its regular diesel buses, a month after introducing the system in its newly launched electric fleet.

The move, officials said, aims to address severe staff shortages that have kept hundreds of buses off the roads, but trade unions have condemned the decision and vowed to challenge it in court.

Under the plan, MTC will recruit 1,172 conductors and 1,020 drivers through private agencies, offering a monthly salary of Rs 26,750 for conductors, inclusive of provident fund, insurance, and other benefits.

All ticketing will be handled using electronic ticketing machines. Tenders have been invited to finalise agencies for supplying the total workforce of 2,192.

With 3,000 vacancies in its driver and conductor posts, the corporation is struggling to operate its full fleet of 3,200 buses.

At present, only about 2,800 buses run daily, while nearly 400 remain grounded due to the shortage of crew and lack of spare parts.

Officials said that with the addition of recruits, around 300 more buses could be put back into service, benefiting the 26.5 lakh commuters who depend on MTC every day.

MTC Managing Director T. Prabhushankar noted that temporary conductors had already been engaged for several months to ensure uninterrupted operations.

“A large number of employees have retired recently. To avoid service cuts, we decided to bring in temporary staff,” he explained.

Currently, the corporation employs 625 conductors and 875 drivers on contract. Out of a total workforce of 18,000, MTC has 7,600 conductors and 7,000 drivers.

The corporation also confirmed that all 170 electric buses introduced last month under the World Bank and AIIB-supported Chennai Sustainable Urban Services Program (C-SUSP) are operated entirely by private staff.

The revised recruitment norms for women conductors -- reducing the height requirement from 160 cm to 150 cm and setting the minimum weight at 45 kg -- will apply to the new round of hiring. For men, the criteria remain at 160 cm height and 48 kg weight.

However, unions have strongly opposed the move. Arumuga Nainar, general secretary of the Transport Employees Federation (CITU), said, “These jobs demand permanent workers since they involve high risk and require commitment. We have already filed a case in the Supreme Court against engaging private agencies, and we will once again approach the court to stop this.”

--IANS

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