KOCHI: The public transport sector, being one of the core areas when it comes to development, has been given much focus in the budget. A slew of measures such as cutting down of road tax for stage carriers, introducing metro in more cities, development of inland navigation, promotion of greener fuel hydrogen, financial aid for KSRTC and exploration of new airstrips have been announced.
The outlay for development projects in transport sector is Rs 2,065.01 crore, a rise of Rs 88.97 crore from previous year. Finance Minister K N Balagopal has announced a cut in road tax for stage carriers by 10%, while also increasing road tax by 50% for private two-wheelers, three-wheelers and motor cars older than 15 years.
Experts, though, have batted for more financial aid to Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). While there is a budget allocation of Rs 107 crore for KSRTC fleet augmentation, it is grossly inadequate. While the state requires another 8,000 public transport buses on the roads, as per the criteria laid out by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which cite that cities require 60 buses per lakh population, the allotment will only help in acquiring about 300 buses.
“The decision to impose 10% cut in road tax for stage carriers is a welcome move. However, steps should be taken to ensure that the desired results are derived at the ground,” said D Dhanuraj, chairman of Centre for Public Policy Research.
Major allocations
Inland navigation: L500 cr
Hydrogen valley project: L5 cr for phase I
DPR for airstrips in Idukki, Wayanad, Kasaragod:L1.50 cr
Road transport: L198.84 cr
Inland water transport: L133.02 cr
Integrated water transport in Kochi: L159.60 cr