The Kerala High Court on Saturday directed the State government to inform the court on how it would recover from the entity [the Popular front of India (PFI)] and its office-bearers the widespread loss caused to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) after 70 of its buses were damaged on Friday when the organisation called a hartal.
The loss was not merely the expense to repair the buses, but the loss of revenue when their trips were cancelled as also the medical expenses of the crew members who were injured in the stone throwing, Justice Devan Ramachandran said in his order.
The action to be initiated ought to be swift, decisive, deterrent and adequate so that one would shudder before a stone was thrown at a KSRTC bus again. The Chief Secretary and the Secretary, Home Department, should overview the action and report to the court on October 17, he said.
The Additional Advocate General assured that requisite action would be taken to identify and nab the culprits as ordered by the court.
Referring to Friday’s hartal as one called without notice, Justice Ramachandran said the KSRTC which was struggling to stay afloat, was under attack for some inexplicable reason, causing loss to the tune of nearly ₹50 lakh.
More importantly, hard working and sincere employees, who were brave to disregard attacks, have been seriously injured. The graphic pictures of drivers driving with helmets was very poignant. This should stop, he said and directed the government to vehemently deal with the entity which called the hartal and the culprits behind the attack, as per law.
