Kochi: The newly-created Central zone of the Kerala State Road Transport Corpo ration (KSRTC) achieved a record revenue collection of Rs 2.94 crore on Monday despite a considerable number of buses in various depots under it on dock.
The zone, which comprises Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Thrissur, and Alappuzha regions, recorded a collection of Rs 2,94,04,287, almost achieving the target given to it by the chief office.
This even as the zone mostly operates ordinary and fast passenger buses unlike the North and South zones that deals mainly with revenue earning inter-state and super-class services, officials claimed.
“Our effort to deploy services in line with passenger demands paid off. The achievement also showed us that the recently-introduced single duty system is good for the corporation,” said M.T. Sukumaran, executive Director. “We’ve redeployed services such that maximum buses will be on roads during the morning and evening peak hours. After encountering severe loss during the flood period, the revenue collection is seeing a steady upward rise. We’ve also identified new routes and started services catering to tourists such as Chalakudy-Malaka-ppara,” said V M Thajudeen Sahib, Zonal Traffic Officer.
However, nearly 370 buses are currently under maintenance at depots and are at dock due to reasons such as non-availability of spare parts, leaving the authorities with only 2361 buses at their disposal. The corporation fell slightly short of its target of Rs 8 crore and recorded a revenue collection of Rs 7.95 crore across the state.
