THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has a change of heart as the world is shifting to electric-green vehicles. KSRTC has been allocated Rs 92 crore in the budget to buy new BS6 diesel buses. There is no mention of buying green vehicles.

Plans to switch to green vehicles were announced since the first budget of the first Pinarayi government. It's just that most of them didn't materialize. In the last budget, no special amount was allocated for the purchase of buses.

It was also announced in the interim central budget that e-bus will be made widespread for public transport and a separate fund will be created for this purpose. However, the state budget validates the argument of Minister KB Ganeshkumar that e-buses are a loss of money and four diesel buses can be bought with the money of one e-bus.

After taking charge, Minister KB Ganesh Kumar had said that more diesel buses will be purchased. CPM state secretary MV Govindan, former transport minister Antony Raju and VK Prashant MLA had publicly come out against the minister's stance that electric buses are a loss of money. KSRTC's annual report rejecting Ganeshkumar's argument was also a setback. Meanwhile, KSRTC cancelled the e-bus tenders.

No rescue package

It was announced that there will be a rescue package for KSRTC from the 2016 budget. It hasn't happened yet. No package has been announced this time. A thousand crores and more were earmarked for KSRTC in previous budgets. It has been reduced twice. 131 crore last time and Rs 128.54 crore this time.