'No requirement for buses to be parked at KSRTC stand'; Mayor says Arya Rajendran was first to point out breach of contract

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram Mayor VV Rajesh has responded to Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar on the e-bus controversy. "I saw that the minister said that buses cannot be parked at the KSRTC stand. There is no requirement for buses to be parked at the KSRTC stand. The corporation has space to park 100 or 1,000 buses," the mayor clarified.

"Most of the villagers are also demanding that small buses be allowed to ply on the side roads. Only 30 percent are city-like wards. The rest are rural areas. There are many side roads there. A large section of people in my ward are also daily wage labourers. They are also demanding small buses that ply on the side roads. Many councilors initially demanded corporation buses. As the mayor, I have to consider the issue. That is how I asked the secretary to check the copy of the agreement. Then it was found that there was a breach of contract."

"When Rs 113 crore is given to the corporation in the name of smart city, it is a fair right for the corporation to get a share of the profits generated from it. This institution also needs to exist. When there is an agreement to share profits with the corporation, it is a fair requirement to comply with it. I have fulfilled my responsibility to bring it to the public. We are requesting the KSRTC and the government to fulfill the cry of the ordinary wage earners belonging to the corporation. If this is released from 6 am to 8 pm, it will benefit the poor."

"Former Mayor Arya Rajendran's Facebook post says that the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation purchased 115 electric buses and gave them to KSRTC Swift under the Smart City project to ensure transportation facilities for the people of the city. The post also states that this is as per the tripartite agreement. The post also states that the inspection shows that KSRTC has violated this agreement. The main violation of the agreement is that the electric buses purchased by the corporation were used for services outside the city limits."

"These buses are operating even to the nearby districts. The Corporation has filed a complaint with the Local Self-Government Department Minister to take necessary action in this regard," the Facebook post dated September 7, 2024, says. We are saying that the contract should be fulfilled. The minister said that the buses will be returned within 24 hours if the letter is given, but we do not have that plan."

"The main component of electric buses is their battery. Now it is time to change the battery in all buses. 70 percent of the cost of buying a bus is for the battery. The good days of those buses have passed. We do not want to take back those 113 buses. The issue was not raised for argument or fight. I saw that the minister said that buses cannot be parked at the KSRTC stand. There is no requirement for buses to be parked at the KSRTC stand. The corporation has space to park a hundred or a thousand buses. The same will be done if such a stage comes, but now there is no such plan," VV Rajesh clarified.