‘If mayor demands, KSRTC ready to return e-buses within 24 hours, but’; a mass reply by Ganesh Kumar 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar stepped forward replying to Mayor V V Rajesh in the issue over e-buses. The minister clarified that it cannot be said that the corporation buses were purchased from the central scheme. The mayor alleged that the e-buses given to KSRTC by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation were operating services outside the city. The mayor had said that the e-buses would be returned soon and that the buses were being run in other places due to political pressure. Ganesh Kumar now reacted against this.

‘There are 113 buses under the Smart City project. It cannot be said that these belong to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The project does not belong to the center either because the central share of the Smart City project is 500 crores. The share of the state is also 500 crores. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has spent 135.7 crores. The shares of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and the state are from the state treasury. So, about 60 percent of the money in that project is of the state government. These 113 e-buses were purchased as part of the Smart City project.

Apart from the 113 buses, KSRTC has bought 50. The corporation cannot interfere in it. There is an agreement between the government, Smart City, Corporation and Swift. The maintenances of these buses are looked after by the KSRTC. The drivers and conductors are from the KSRTC.

These buses are not operating services outside Thiruvananthapuram. They do not run in any other district. They are not presently running in any other district due to complex maintenance. If the battery is damaged, it will cost Rs 28 lakh to replace it. If Thiruvananthapuram Mayor demands all 113 buses, will be sent back within 24 hours. He just has to give a letter. Instead, KSRTC will flag off 150 buses in the city. Once the buses are returned to the corporation, will not agree to park them at KSRTC's place. The mayor has not spoken to me yet on this issue. Someone has misled the mayor,' said Ganesh Kumar.