Kerala High Court nod to KSRTC for 1,790 new buses

Kochi: Kerala High Court on Tuesday permitted the KSRTC to go ahead with the tender proceedings initiated for buying 1,790 new buses, including 290 low-floor Volvo buses. Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque allowed a petition filed by the KSRTC seeking to vacate the stay passed on a plea  filed by Ashok Leyland against rejection of its tender by the KSRTC.

 

The court also asked the KSRTC to include Ashok Lyland in the tendering process. The KSRTC  argued that new buses were being bought mainly to replace its 15-year-old buses. The new  buses were being introduced in a phased manner. Of the 1,790 buses, 290 were under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) projects.

 

 

Justice A.M. Shaffique issued the order while considering a batch of petitions challenging the state government order. The Road Transport Authority on July 17  had allowed private operators to allot permits for private buses on the routes of superfast buses. The state government submitted that the state made the  decision as the KSRTC lacked staff and there was a shortage of buses.

 

It was in July 2013 that the government had decided to take over the permits of the private buses plying on KSRTC fast and superfast bus routes. Accordingly, the government took over 95 routes, where permits for private buses had lapsed, and plied KSRTC buses on 46 routes. It’s the private bus permits for these routes that the government has decided to renew.