Transport Minister C.P. John on Friday (October 16) said the local self-government institutions will not be compelled to fund the development and maintenance of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) depots.
He clarified that the public sector utility would continue to shoulder its responsibility for infrastructure improvements. However, local bodies could intervene voluntarily if they wished to improve KSRTC facilities in their respective areas.
He was responding to concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan at the Assembly over reports that local bodies would have to allocate funds for the infrastructure development of KSRTC depots. He pointed that the civic bodies were already facing complaints over allocation cuts and cautioned that diverting funds to transport infrastructure would adversely affect their development activities.
Mr. John said the proposal was not intended to impose a financial obligation on local bodies or encroach upon their existing rights.
According to him, corporations and municipalities which had comparatively robust revenue bases than grama panchayats could choose to contribute to improving local KSRTC depots if they considered it necessary.
Responding to another query, the Transport Minister said the government was considering the introduction of seat belts in long-distance buses, particularly the high-speed Minnal services, to improve passenger safety.
Published – October 16, 2026 04:25 pm IST
