The Corporation Council on Wednesday came out strongly against the unilateral decision of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to operate the JNNURM AC low-floor buses on inter-district routes and hike the fares of these services.
Passing a resolution on the issue, the council demanded that the state government should form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) immediately and decide the routes and fares via the SPV. In taking decisions without involving the Corporation, the KSRTC had violated ‘’all democratic decencies and encroached upon the Corporation’s powers,’’ the resolution said.
Under the JNNURM scheme, the Centre had given the nod to buy low-floor buses for city service. Accordingly, the City Corporation had approved the scheme on February 16, 2009. As per plan, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation was allowed Rs 53.4 crore on February 21 the same year. Thirty AC Volvo buses and 120 Ashok Leyland buses made up this scheme. Using the JNNURM funds, 26 AC buses and 120 non-AC buses were purchased.
As per plan, for the JNNURM project, CAG special section, in the audit on April 9, 2010, recommended the formation of an SPV to operate the buses. A council meeting on August 6, 2010, approved the recommendation, but the SPV has not been formed to date.