Dumka/Deoghar, Sept. 8: Bifurcation may have got Jharkhand its share of the pie, but Bihar still has its thumb firmly planted in it.

In the absence of a corporation for Jharkhand, the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) is reaping profits from the state. However, very little of this gets translated into benefits for BSRTC employees in Jharkhand who are being paid only half their salary every month.

The BSRTC runs a monopoly of sorts in Santhal Parganas and other parts of Jharkhand. Poor rail connectivity in tribal areas like Dumka, Godda and Deoghar has proved favourable for the corporation. The pending assets distribution between the two states in this sector facilitates Bihar to reap monetary profits made by its Jharkhand wing.

During the Shravani mela this year, BSRTC ran 38 buses in Deoghar for pilgrims, earning Rs 20.94 lakh and made a profit of nearly Rs 10 lakh. However, employees of the organisation in Jharkhand continue to face a financial crisis due to non-payment of salary.

According to Raj Nandan Prasad, divisional manager, Santhal Paraganas, there are 225 BSRTC employees in districts. Ranchi has 800 employees. Arun Kumar Singh, a BSRTC employee based in Deoghar, said staff members had not been paid from 1994. Following a Supreme Court directive, the Bihar government began paying the employees from 2001. However, only 15 days’ salary was given each month. The BSRTC workers’ union had filed a case in the Supreme Court after non-payment for years at a stretch led to starvation deaths and suicide cases by workers.

The Bihar government was also directed by the court to revive the organisation. New deluxe and semi-deluxe buses were purchased, but few were provided to Santhal Parganas despite requests from local BSRTC officials for more buses on new routes like Dumka-Calcutta, Dumka-Ranchi, Deoghar-Calcutta and Godda-Calcutta. “We have earned huge profits from this region. We can repeat the feat easily, but our demands have to be fulfilled by the Bihar government,’’ said Madan Mohon Mahato, divisional accountant at Dumka. He said immediate staff division should be done to salvage the situation.

Districts like Dumka, Deoghar and Godda have 11 buses which ply on the Bhagalpur route. Patna has been ignoring demands of local BSRTC divisions. Bus service from Dumka to Sahebganj and Pakur was one such demand. But lack of buses has become a hurdle.