The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) found itself at loggerheads with the government in the Assembly on Thursday over the ‘‘deterioration’’ of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
UDF legislators staged a walkout after Speaker M. B. Rajesh denied permission for an adjournment motion on the subject.
Transport Minister Antony Raju slammed the previous Oommen Chandy government for running the KSRTC to ‘ruin’. He claimed that the successive Pinarayi Vijayan government had left no stone unturned to salvage the public utility.
Both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and UDF unanimously slammed the Centre's decision to slap a heavy levy on bulk fuel purchasers, including the KSRTC. Mr. Raju said the surcharge had caused KSRTC's operational costs to shoot up by ₹25 crore a month. Yet, the government promptly paid salaries and pensions and augmented its mofussil, long-haul and urban services by adding modern electric and CNG-fuelled buses.
Congress leader and former Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan accused Mr. Raju of painting a rosy picture of the ‘ailing and mismanaged’ KSRTC. “First convince the CITU trade union that all is well with the KSRTC before making tall claims about its operational and financial robustness in the House”.
He said the government had skimped on investing in new buses, starting more services and expanding the KSRTC network to far-flung localities to promote the ‘economically and environmentally’ unviable K-Rail (SilverLine) project.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said the LDF had floated a new company to supplant the KSRTC and indulge in corruption by accepting backhanders for backdoor appointments in the new corporation. Ordinary people were heavily reliant on the KSRTC. However, the public utility has scaled down inter-district services incrementally to promote the relatively dear K-Rail.
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan said KSRTC buses were a rarity on nationalised routes. The people were the victims of the government's apathy to the public service. The administration also planned to hike ticket fares and cut back on student concessions.
Mr. Raju said the government had hiked the master scale of KSRTC employees from ₹8,073 to ₹23,000. The KSRTC would launch electric and multi-axle long service buses to cater to Kerala's travel needs. It was not niggardly with prompt salary and pension payments. He said the UDF was scraping the bottom of the barrel to find issues to indict the government. When they find none, they raise falsehoods in the Assembly.
