Thiruvananthapuram: State Transport Minister C P John announced on Friday that the Kerala government will soon map the specific routes where state-run KSRTC and private buses operate concurrently. The decision comes in response to financial grievances raised by private operators following the launch of the government's free-travel initiative for women.

Last month, the state administration rolled out the Priyadarshini project, which permits women to travel free of charge on ordinary Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. Since its inception, private bus owners have protested that the scheme has sharply reduced their daily ticket collections, rendering multiple private operations financially unviable. Following this, the government has come up with a ‘rescue operation’.

Addressing journalists, Minister John claimed that the impact was not uniform across the private transport sector.

"Of the around 8,000 private buses operating in the state, not all are facing this issue, because KSRTC services are absent on many routes served by private buses," he said.

The Minister noted that he had deliberated on the crisis with Chief Minister V D Satheesan and subsequently convened a high-level briefing with the transport commissioner earlier in the day.

"We have decided to identify the routes where KSRTC and private buses overlap. The CM has given permission for this exercise. Routes where private operators are facing difficulties due to overlapping services will be identified," he added.

When questioned about the strike threats made by private bus associations, John stated that the operators retain the right to hold peaceful protests.

In a separate update, the Minister added that municipal waste currently piled up by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on KSRTC-owned land at Enchakkal will be cleared shortly, paving the way for alternative development of the property.

PTI