Bhatnagar chairs JKRTC BoDs meet

Jammu, Feb 18: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar Friday chaired the 84th meeting of Board of Directors (BoDs) of Jammu Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) at Civil Secretariat here.
The BoDs meeting was attended by Vice Chairman of the Board and Additional Chief Secretary Finance, Atal Dulloo; Directors of the Board: Principal Secretary, PWD, Shailendra Kumar; Commissioner Secretary Transport, Hirdesh Kumar; MD JKRTC, Angrez Singh Rana and Chief Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Department, Kashmir, Rashid Ahmad Dar among other senior officers.
During the meeting, the Board discussed various issues pertaining to JKRTC like augmentation of the corporation, pending payments, placement of drivers and conductors as well as medical reimbursement issues. Detailed discussion was also held on the challenges being faced in revamping of the JKRTC.
The Board also held deliberations on the Action Taken Report of the previous BoDs meeting besides e-initiatives being adopted by the Uttarakhand government for their transport services also came up during the discussion.
Budget estimates for the financial year 2022-23 were also presented before the board. It was acknowledged that the corporation needs to revise and update its rules, regulations and manuals for its better administration. The Board asked the management of corporation to utilize services of Finance Department and the Law Department in the process.
During the meeting, the issues of retirees were patiently discussed by the board and it was decided that they would be given priority in all budgetary allocations.
Speaking on the occasion, Advisor Bhatnagar, who is also the Chairman of Board, appreciated the initiatives like online ticket booking facility, online bus schedule, smart staff management and launch of a mobile app being launched by the JKRTC. He also set a deadline for implementation of these technologies in the corporation at the earliest.
The Chairman directed the management of the corporation to adopt new reporting formats and resolve pending audit issues. He called for the submission of annual report by the JKRTC.
Informing the board about enlarged fleet of buses operated by the corporation, the chairman stressed upon the management to make rigorous efforts for increasing profit per kilometer for its buses. He directed them that a fresh assessment of the costs be done and submitted before the board. He also asked them that monthly exercise be conducted in this regard and more profitable routes be identified for making the corporation more viable.