Impractical order by NGT: Stakeholders

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The KSRTC, schools and private bus operators claimed that the National Green Tribunal’s interim order  to disallow bigger diesel vehicles above 10 years old on Kerala roads  was too impractical to be implemented. As per estimates, 250 of around 400 KSRTC buses that ply in  Thiruvananthapuram city are above 10 years old.

Around 850 of the 1500 KSRTC buses that ply in the district are above this age. Of the 100 private bus permits issued in the city,  there will be hardly 20 which fall  in this category as most buses are second hand. “The average age of KSRTC buses in Kerala is around nine years. We decommission buses above 13 years old but  there are several buses above 10 years. I will comment about the judgment once I get its copy,” said KSRTC MD Anthony Chacko.
School buses run very less km and it is impractical to stop using older buses, say  school officials.

“An interstate bus may ply around 1500 km a day. Our school buses may complete 60 km a day.  They  sit  idle on holidays, vacations and most part of the day. I have  three-year-old school buses which have plied only 17,000 km.  Older buses cause high pollution, but as long as perfect condition buses are used, they t should be permitted on road,” said Joseph Eenthumkuzhy, Bursar of Christ Nagar group of schools which has 40 buses.

Almost all school buses, stage carriers and contract carriers in the district have been taken on a loan of around 7 years. “Operators pay loan from their pockets many a time  and make no profit for seven years. Profit usually comes between 7 and 15 years from the date of purchase but that won’t be much as buses will incur high maintenance cost. Cost of spares is around 100 per cent more than what it used to before 3 years. So  if the NGT ruling comes into force, we will have to stop business,” said Surya Biju who operates contract carriages and inter-state buses.

The same economics will work with trucks that deliver commodities to the city. Also, most vehicles that ply to Technopark have completed or are nearing 10 years, sources said. The KSRTC is unable to switch to CNG (compressed natural gas) as Indian Oil Corporation has  no CNG dispensing facility in the state.