After a hiatus of eight years, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has reverted to its old khaki uniform. A government order issued in this regard has stated that conductors and drivers in the public transport utility will switch over to khaki trousers and half-sleeve shirts with KSRTC emblem on pocket for men, and khaki churidars and sleeveless overcoat for women. The new uniform is expected to come into force either by the end of this month or early December.
Similarly, employees in other categories too will witness a change in their uniforms. Station master, vehicle supervisor and chargeman will don khaki trousers and half-sleeve shirts with category being imprinted on the shoulder flap. In the case of inspectors, khaki safari suit fitted with a designation insignia has been suggested. Navy blue trouser and half-sleeve shirt has been suggested for the mechanic section staff.
While men in store department will have to wear navy blue trousers and half-sleeve shirts, women will wear navy blue saree with blouse/churidar. The last-grade employees in the Corporation are excluded from wearing uniforms. It was on July 1, 2015, that the KSRTC had switched over to navy blue trousers and sky blue shirts/churidars ditching its decades-old Khaki uniforms.
The move to switch over to a new dress code is estimated to cost ₹2.15 crore for the crisis-ridden Corporation, which is finding it tough to foot the salary bills of its employees owing to a financial crisis. The uniform was changed following a plea from different quarters to revise the dress code in keeping up with the times, said the government order.
