The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (Passenger Group Personal Accident Insurance, Improved Passenger Amenities, Employees' Social Security and Cess on Passenger Ticket) Act, 2014

(1) This Act may be called the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (Passenger Group Personal Accident Insurance, Improved Passenger Amenities, Employees' Social Security and Cess on Passenger Ticket) Act, 2014. (2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 16th day of October, 2014.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— (a) "Corporation" means the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation established under section 3 of the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950 (Central Act 64 of 1950); (b) "Fund" means the Fund of the Corporation constituted under Section 27 of the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950 (Central Act 64 of 1950); (c) "Government" means the Government of Kerala; (d) "Passenger" means any person who travels in a stage carriage bus operated by the Corporation after taking passenger fare ticket and includes a child or any other person who are eligible for concession in the rate of fare ticket; (e) "Passenger amenities" includes waiting room, toilet, drinking water facilities and primary medical facilities; (f) "Pension" means the eligible pension of the employees, who have retired from the services of the Corporation, as per the laws in force at the date of commencement of this Act; (g) "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (h) "Schedule" means the Schedule to this Act; (i) "Scheme" means a scheme made under this Act; (j) "Social security" includes payment of pension to the employees also who have retired or retires from the services of the Corporation.

(1) The Corporation may, by notification in the Gazette, make schemes to introduce passenger group personal accident insurance coverage and improved passenger amenities to its passengers and for social security measures for its employees who have retired or retires from the services of the Corporation. (2) Subject to the provisions of this Act,— (a) in a scheme for the group personal accident insurance coverage, the Corporation may provide,- (i) for the arrangements for insurance coverage to the passengers, with an Indian insurance company, with the prior sanction of the Government; (ii) to categorise the passengers for the purposes of fixing the extent of insurance coverage; (iii) for the procedure to be observed for the award of the amount of insurance; (iv) eligibility of a passenger and his legal heirs for the insurance amount in accordance with the nature of injuries and in the case of death as the case may be; (v) hospitalization of passengers and the procedure for payment of amount; (vi) mechanism to settle any dispute that may arise in the implementation of the scheme; (vii) such other matters for the effective implementation of the scheme. (b) in a scheme for improved passenger amenities, the Corporation may,- (i) specify the passenger amenities that may be made available to the passengers; (ii) provide for the management and maintenance of passenger amenities; (iii) provide for arrangement of any convenience for the better service to the passengers. (c) in the scheme for employees' social security, the Corporation may,- (i) provide for giving pension to its employees who have retired or retires from the services of the Corporation where the Corporation cannot otherwise meet the expenditure for the purpose; (ii) provide for adjustment of any amount for the payment of pension; (iii) provide for temporary arrangement of the amount credited to the Fund under this Act for the benefit of its employees who have retired or retires from the services of the Corporation; (3) Every scheme made under this Act shall be laid before the Legislative Assembly as soon as it is published in the Gazette. Explanation:—For the purposes of this section, the expression "Indian insurance company" shall have the same meaning assigned to that expression in clause (7A) of section 2 of the Insurance Act, 1938 (Central Act 4 of 1938).

(1) There shall be levied and collected a cess, for the purposes of the schemes under this Act, on passenger tickets of the Corporation, at the rates specified in the Schedule. (2) Every person travelling in a stage carriage bus operated by the Corporation shall be liable to pay the cess under sub-section (1) along with the payment of fare, as soon as the passenger ticket is issued to him. (3) The tickets issued under sub-section (2) shall contain the amount of cess which shall be shown in the ticket separately. (4) The cess levied under sub-section (1) shall be in addition to any cess, duty or tax leviable on road, passengers or vehicles under any other law for the time being in force. (5) The proceeds of the cess collected under sub-section (2) shall be credited initially to the Consolidated Fund of the State in the manner as may be prescribed. (6) The amount of cess collected shall be paid to the Fund of the Corporation by the Government in every three months, in the manner as may be prescribed. (7) The amount paid to the Corporation by the Government under sub-section (6) shall be credited to the Fund and shall be kept under a separate head of account.

(1) Every passenger shall be entitled to get the benefit of the passenger group personal accident insurance coverage as per the scheme made under this Act. (2) Any passenger aggrieved by the decision of the Corporation in respect of such insurance coverage may make a complaint before such authority, within such time limit, as may be specified in the scheme. (3) Any passenger or legal heirs of a passenger aggrieved by the decision of any authority under the scheme may appeal to the Government within sixty days from the date of receipt of the order.

(1) The Government may, where the Legislative Assembly is not in session, in public interest or on the recommendation of the Corporation, by notification in the Gazette, amend the Schedule for the purpose of increasing or reducing the rate of cess specified in the Schedule. (2) Every notification issued under sub-section (1) shall be laid before the legislative Assembly in its immediately succeeding session stating the reasons for the same and every such notification shall be replaced by an Act of the State Legislature during such session of the Legislative Assembly. (3) Where a notification issued under sub-section (1) is not replaced by an Act of the State Legislature as provided under sub-section (2), the notification shall cease to operate at the end of such session.

(1) The Government may, in public interest or on the recommendation of the Corporation, at any time, by order published in the Gazette, stop the levy and collection of the cess under this Act and in the like manner, the Government may, at any time, restore the levy and collection of such cess. (2) Where the levy and collection of cess is stopped under sub-section (1), the Corporation may stop or continue any or all of the schemes under this Act: Provided that where the Corporation stops any such scheme, it shall settle all the claims under such schemes as soon as such scheme is stopped.

No civil court shall have jurisdiction to settle, decide or deal with any question or dispute or to determine any matter which is required to be settled, decided or dealt with by any authority or officer authorized or appointed under this Act or a scheme made thereunder.

(1) The Government may, by notification in the Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act. (2) Every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the Legislative Assembly while it is in session for a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions and if, before the expiry of the session in which it is so laid, or the session immediately following, the Legislative Assembly makes any modification in the rule or decides that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so however that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

(1) The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (Passenger Group Personal Accident Insurance, Improved Passenger Amenities, Employees’ Social Security and Cess on Passenger Ticket) Ordinance, 2014 (25 of 2014) is hereby repealed. (2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the said Ordinance shall be deemed to have been done or taken under this Act.

[See section 4(1)] Sl. No. Slab as per ticket fare Amount of cess (in rupee) (1) (2) (3) 1 Up to 14 ₹ Nil 2 15 to 24 ₹ One 3 25 to 49 ₹ Two 4 50 to 74 ₹ Three 5 75 to 99 ₹ Four 6 100 and above ₹ Ten