THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : By airing doubts on the feasibility of electric buses, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar has stirred up a hornet’s nest. His statement has not been received well by those supporting the use of e-buses for public transport and the green policy of the state government.
On Friday, CPM state secretary M V Govindan dismissed the minister’s stand. On questions about the move to hike the minimum fare of electric buses and a policy shift on such vehicles, he said that no decision would be taken that goes against public interest . “The government will clear the air,” Govindan told reporters.
Taking strong exception to Ganesh Kumar’s remark, former Thiruvananthapuram mayor and MLA V K Prasanth said, “The KSRTC should focus on putting in place a proper system for maintaining electric buses and making itself profitable.”
“Thiruvananthapuram is one of the cities with the least air pollution and the government’s policy is to make the city greener by promoting electric vehicles. Electric buses have not been a burden for the KSRTC. They were all purchased with financial aid from World Bank, KIIFB and Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL). It is the responsibility of the corporation to make its e-bus operation profitable. The state is getting all this financial aid because of its green policy and there is no point in denying such an eco-friendly service to the public,” Prasanth told TNIE.
He said the entire fleet of buses operating in the city should be made electric. “There are areas outside city limits, especially with hilly terrain, where e-buses are not feasible. KSRTC can operate normal buses on such stretches. When e-buses were first introduced, city residents were reluctant to take to them. They received wide acceptance after ticket rates were fixed at Rs 10. KSRTC should work out a reasonable increase in ticket rates and take steps to improve ridership,” said Prasanth.