Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the government will soon work out a permanent solution to the problems being faced by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
Mr. Chandy was laying the foundation stone for a KSRTC bus terminal-cum-shopping complex here on Friday afternoon. He said the government would take extra care to protect the interests of the KSRTC employees and pensioners.
Mr. Chandy also flagged off three low-floor air-conditioned buses of the KSRTC district depot here on the occasion.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien inaugurated a public meeting held in connection with the stone-laying ceremony at the KSRTC grounds.
Prof. Kurien called upon the KSRTC authorities to start new inter-State services to Bengaluru and Coimbatore from Pathanamthitta to meet the growing public demand.
Presiding over the meeting, Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the KSRTC would soon extend its inter-State services to more cities like Hyderabad and Panaji.
In a pioneering initiative, the KSRTC had provided insurance cover to all its passengers, he said.
K. Sivadasan Nair, MLA, said that besides the three low-floor air-conditioned buses, the Minister had sanctioned 21 low-floor buses to the district depot.
Anto Antony, MP; S. Harikishore, District Collector; A. Sureshkumar, municipal chairman; R. Haridas Edathitta, district panchayat president; Antony Chacko, KSRTC Managing Director; and R. Indu, Chief Engineer, spoke.