Thiruvananthapuram: The debt-ridden Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has notified the auction of around 312 sovereigns of ornaments left behind by passengers in the last six years.
The KSRTC, which is struggling to make both ends meet, has decided to auction the ornaments, including stone necklaces and around 1,580 grams of silver items retrieved from buses and bus stations across the state between June 2006 and July 2012.
A top official said that the ornaments are worth Rs 70 lakh. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, precious ornaments should be kept at the respective depots for a period of six months so that the owner can claim them.
“Gold and silver ornaments unclaimed by the owners from across the state are brought to the transport office here and we keep them in the locker. As per rules, we should auction the property,” said KSRTC Chief Traffic Officer Sharaf Mohammad. The KSRTC has around 5,800 services across the state.
A top official of KSRTC said that this showed the honesty of KSRTC employees. “We have given so many precious things back to their owners. Our employees are dedicated and sincere and a lot of formalities are involved while reporting a lost object,” said the official.
