Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) member V. Geetha issued an order directing three officials from the KSRTC Kottarakara depot to appear in person at the upcoming hearing and give a formal explanation regarding allegations of negligence and failure to provide timely travel relief to school students. The commission’s intervention is in response to a petition filed by PJ Ajith Kumar, a senior from Ezhukone. Mr Kumar claimed that his grandchildren had been unfairly denied travel concessions. He further pointed out that the process has become a financial burden as families are forced to spend around ₹100 at computer centers for online applications only to face delays and rejections due to arbitrary requirements set by the depot officials. In a report submitted earlier to the commission, the Kottarakara District Transport Officer (DTO) claimed that the delay occurred because the petitioner did not upload Form Number 1. The DTO insisted that this particular form, verified by the school authorities, was introduced as a simplified measure to speed up the process. However, the petitioner successfully disputed this claim by submitting evidence that the official board at the Kottarakara KSRTC unit office does not mention Form No. 1 as the required document for concession applications. After reviewing the evidence, the committee found that the petitioner’s argument that officials are intentionally creating obstacles for students has merit. It has been noted that the documents currently required for uploading do not specifically mention Form Number 1, leading to confusion and unnecessary hassle. As a result, the Commission summoned the officials to justify these irregularities. The case is to be discussed again in March and the affected employees will be informed of the exact date of the meeting.
Published – 28 Jan 2026 19:54 IST
