THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister CP John has said that the state will introduce hydrogen-powered buses to its public transport fleet. The minister announced the decision after reviewing a trial run of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) hydrogen bus service in the national capital.
The minister, accompanied by KSRTC CMD Pramoj Shankar and additional resident commissioner Ashwathi Srinivas, inspected the vehicle’s features during a loop transit through the Central Vista.
The initiative gained backing during a meeting on Wednesday between John and Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, who directed officials to implement a joint KSRTC-ANERT hydrogen pilot project.
The meeting yielded decisions for the state’s public transport modernisation, with the Union minister agreeing to recommend a request for a loan to the economic affairs department to renew the KSRTC fleet.
While advising the state to check additional bus procurement schemes via the ministry of housing and urban affairs, Gadkari also agreed to evaluate a request to exempt or reduce toll charges for KSRTC buses at NHAI plazas.
To fix disruptions in services, the Union minister gave the National Informatics Centre (NIC) a one-week deadline to resolve issues on the VAHAN and SARATHI portals. National NIC will coordinate with Kerala NIC to complete the state’s pending e-Challan integration within days.
The Union minister also stated central clearance would be granted for the pending Regional Driver Training Centre (RDTC) at Parassala, alongside district driver training centres across the state.