Jamshedpur, March 4: This Holi, employees of the four divisions of the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) in Jharkhand have reason to rejoice.

The corporation has decided to pay outstanding salary for seven months of the financial year 2003-04 to the workers.

Sources in BSRTC’s Patna headquarters informed that the corporation has decided to sanction funds from the revival package formed by the Bihar government last year.

The salary payment would be made for the months July to January of the financial year 2003-04.

Employees of the BSRTC divisions based at Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Dumka will benefit from the decision. The decision was taken after a meeting of top BSRTC officials in Patna.

There are over 1200 employees in BSRTC’s four divisions. Employees at the corporation’s Ranchi and Jamshedpur divisions expressed relief over the corporation's decision. A.K. Singh, a senior employee of the corporation, said, “We hope we get our dues soon.”

Last Holi, too, the corporation had released outstanding salary for five months.

Two of the high revenue earning divisions—Ranchi and Jamshedpur— will also get three new long distance buses. The semi-deluxe buses will be dispatched to these divisions so that regional transport authorities can prepare the necessary documents, informed officials.

Between the years 1998 and 2001, the corporation struggled to pay its workers salary.

However, after July 2001, Supreme Court started monitoring the affairs of the corporation following a petition by two retired employees.

Employees began receiving ad hoc payments after the court directed the Bihar government to ensure payment to the employees.

The irregular salary payment has forced employees to a condition of utter penury. However, insiders in BSRTC revealed that things are expected to change for the better once the corporation’s assets and liabilities are divided between both the states.

BSRTC officials informed that based on Supreme Court directive the union ministry of road transport has fixed a deadline of June 30 this year for the division of assets and liabilities of BSRTC.

According to officials, in an attempt to revive the defunct corporation, the Supreme Court had directed the Bihar government to submit a revival package of Rs 113 crore. Out of which, so far the Bihar government has submitted about Rs 75 crore.

Of the proposed purchase of 800 new buses , BSRTC has already bought 180 buses which are plying on various routes of Bihar and Jharkhand.

According to Bhartendu Prasad, divisional manager of BSRTC’s Jamshedpur division, about 55 more new buses are expected to hit the road by the year end. ``The idea behind introducing more new buses is to increase BSRTC’s revenue,'' said Prasad adding that introduction of new buses had

helped the corporation in increasing its revenue in the Jamshedpur division.