KSRTC cancels order to purchase 1,000 buses?

Thiruvananthapuram: The KSRTC’s corporate monitoring committee has cancelled the order to purchase 1,000 buses as the government has decided not to start new routes/ schedules.           

In the recently released revival package to save the KSRTC from doldrums, one of the recommendations was to go for 1000 new buses. Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association attached to the CITU told DC that on Friday when the KSRTC cancelled 1,069 schedules, there was not much change in passenger statistics.

“On an average day, we get between 30-35 lakh passengers across the state. And when 1069 schedules were cancelled on Friday, statistics reveal that there has been a decrease of only 1.89 lakh passengers per day. The KSRTC management felt that they are not going to get much benefit by releasing new buses,”  said a trade union leader attached to KSRTEA.

However, KSRTC’s Chairman and Managing Director Antony Chacko said  that 4810 schedules were maintained on Saturday and on Friday 4,750 schedules were operational.

“We have not cancelled any schedules.  We plan to release 300 buses by November so as to meet  the rush of Sabarimala season. We have also started getting diesel from Mangalore and Mahe and out of 11 diesel dispensing stations, nine have been operational,” said Mr. Chacko.