KOCHI: The Ernakulam Depot of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) collected a whopping Rs 2.80 crore from its Sabarimala services during the pilgrimage season which started on November 15 and ended on January 16.The cash-strapped Corporation had operated special Sabarimala trips that began from South railway station and Ernakulam south bus station during the last 62 days. “It was a profitable season for the Ernakulam Depot. We managed to cross the target almost everyday, except on the strike day,” said District Transport Officer V M Thajudheen.
The depot also managed to rake in `4.79 crore during December. “This includes the collection of Sabarimala special trips. Things are looking good in January too with the depot collecting `2.58 crore till date. The daily target during the Sabarimala season was `13.90 lakh and the collection averaged at `16 lakh almost every day except on January 8, the day of the nation-wide general strike,” he added.
According to him, the corporation worked closely with the Railways to ensure the timing of special services coincided with the trains. “The services were scheduled according to the arrival of long-distance trains from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Seven buses were lined up simultaneously at the railway station. If there were more devotees, then an extra bus was be arranged immediately from the depot.
This helped to manage the rush of pilgrims from other states and ensured things went hassle-free,” said Thajudheen.The KSRTC Ernakulam Depot had sourced buses and employees from other centres to ensure uninterrupted services. As many as 18-20 additional services were conducted everyday during the pilgrimage season.