Coronavirus: BMTC staff who worked during lockdown to be paid incentive

 Over 3,000 BMTC staffers who worked during the lockdown will get Rs 250 per day incentive in recognition of their services.

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has decided to give a Rs 250 per day incentive to over 3,000 staffers who worked during the COVID-19 lockdown in Bengaluru.

According to a circular issued by BMTC the incentive will be given to 3,397 employees who worked between March 26 and April 20 by risking their lives to provide bus services to the people working in the essential services in the city.

The proposal to give the staff an incentive as encouragement was recently approved by the BMTC Board.

Accordingly, the corporation will disburse Rs 95.92 lakh to the employees (Grade 3 and 4) towards a total of 38,370 working days.

The lockdown in the early phase of the pandemic was marked by fear of COVID-19 though the number of positive cases was very low compared with the current scenario.

Meanwhile, to ensure availability of essential services in Bengaluru during the reimposed COVID-19 lockdown, the BMTC is providing bus services for personnel involved in the delivery of essential service.

The transport department has suspended BMTC bus services from Tuesday 8 pm to 5 am on July 22 in the city.

However, its 134 buses will ply around the city to ferry personnel attached to essential services. “Essential services will be operated between 7 am to 7 pm during the lockdown period,” BMTC said in a press release.