Kochi, Oct 4: Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Sunday said the government aims to modernise the KSRTC, upgrade its facilities and make it a professionally managed organisation.
He was speaking after flagging off seven new Kerala State Road Transport Corporation services and inaugurating the construction of a new bus waiting centre in North Paravur here.
Satheesan said the Priyadarshini scheme, which provides free travel for women, was introduced at the first Cabinet meeting after the UDF came to power.
The scheme was not merely a concession but a symbol of the government’s respect for women in Keralam, he said.
“Some had predicted that the KSRTC would shut down after the scheme was introduced, but the institution has faced no such difficulties, and its buses are now operating with higher collections,” he said.
He said new interstate packages were also in the pipeline.
“A Lakshadweep tourism package has also been prepared, under which passengers would travel by flight via the airport to Lakshadweep, with accommodation and food arranged before their return. The first batch, scheduled for November 4, was fully booked, while the next batch would begin on January 3,” he said.
Satheesan said private individuals had also come forward to support the KSRTC by purchasing new buses.
Three persons had already contributed Rs 40 lakh each to purchase buses, while others had expressed interest in providing more.
“As many as 33 MLAs have given their consent to provide buses using their MLA funds. The government is committed to improving public transport facilities,” he said.(PTI)
