Women to get free travel on KSRTC ordinary buses from June 15
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Thiruvananthapuram: All women, irrespective of age or income, will be eligible for free travel on Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses from June 15, Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan announced on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said the scheme, named "Priyadarshini", will initially be implemented on ordinary KSRTC services.
The government estimates that the scheme will impose an additional monthly financial burden of around ₹70 crore, which will be fully borne by the state. The annual additional expenditure for KSRTC is expected to be about ₹800 crore.
Satheesan said the government currently has no plans to hire private buses. However, it would study the possibility of deploying more buses in the Malabar region to improve services.
The Chief Minister also referred to the social media campaign against actor Salim Kumar, describing it as highly objectionable, and questioned who was behind it.
Commenting on state politics, Satheesan alleged that a CPM-BJP understanding had operated in Chathannoor and Kazhakkoottam during the Assembly elections. He dismissed CPM allegations of a Congress-BJP deal as lacking seriousness, noting that the BJP had won seats contested by senior Left Democratic Front leaders. He further claimed that the LDF's vote share had declined in both Chathannoor and Kazhakkoottam.
On the PM SHRI school scheme, the Chief Minister said further discussions were required and that a decision would be taken only after examining the legal aspects of the programme.
Regarding the high-speed rail proposal submitted by E. Sreedharan, Satheesan said the government had not decided to implement the project. He said only a committee had been appointed to study the proposal and added that the project report submitted by Sreedharan was yet to be examined.
The Chief Minister also rejected claims regarding the state's treasury balance, questioning reports that the treasury held ₹6,000 crore and noting that such figures had earlier been mentioned by former Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal.
On vehicle modification regulations, Satheesan said media reports had emerged before any final decision was taken and added that the order issued by the previous government regarding restrictions at the Secretariat remained in force.