THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar said that KSRTC employees will be paid on the first day of the month itself. The minister was speaking at the inauguration of the second phase of e-buses (22 buses) jointly conducted by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and Smart City Project. The Chief Minister has given support and instructions for the same. It was also decided to form a consortium of cooperative banks and pay pensions for the next one year.

Pension will be paid first to the employees who retired first. Cancer and heart surgery patients will be given up to Rs 1 lakh from PF. Money will be paid to avoid the attachment of houses.

Current routes of e-buses will be rescheduled. In the current situation, almost half of the buses are short of income. All Councilors can participate in the process of re-routing. The arrangement will be such that the buses will reach all parts of the city. Private buses will also be allowed outside the city.

How did the constituency change? - Antony Raju

"The electric bus is my baby. I did not know about the inauguration of the second phase of e-buses." This is what former transport minister Antony Raju MLA told the media when he visited the buses at the Vikas Bhavan depot, the venue of the inauguration of the e-buses. "The people concerned said that the inauguration will be held at Putharikandam. It is not known how the constituency changed and why the inauguration was delayed by a month. The purchase of electric buses started when I was the transport minister. Double Decker has been lying idle for a month."

Following the rift between KB Ganesh Kumar and Antony Raju, there are allegations that the E-Bus inauguration ceremony was shifted to VK Prashanth's constituency to avoid Antony Raju. Ganesh had earlier said that e-buses are not profitable while Antony Raju rejected his statement.