Two ordinary buses have been refurbished in a coat of pink and white for the serviceKollam: Pink is suddenly in vogue in Kerala. After the women-friendly pink patrolling initiative by the Kerala police, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is all set to ply two pink buses in Thiruvananthapuram exclusively for women passengers.
The new-look ladies-only services will be introduced across the state if the trial runs in the capital city is found to be a success.
Two ordinary buses have been refurbished in a coat of pink and white for the service. They are all set to hit the streets at the corporation’s central workshop at Kaimanam in Thiruvananthapuram.
The corporation also toyed with the idea of assigning an all-woman crew to these buses but a lack of woman drivers posed a problem. The corporation may have to wait for women to be appointed as drivers. The pink buses will have women ticket collectors though.
Staff to get salaries, but no fuel for buses
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation’s cash crunch eased with the allotment of Rs 100 crore as loan from the Kerala Transport Development and Financial Corporation (KTDFC).
The flow of money has helped the KSRTC to tide over a salary crisis for the time being. The corporation has issued an order to disburse the recently raised 6 percent dearness allowance for the staff.
The corporation will disburse 75 percent of salaries with the dearness allowance and the pension dues from Saturday, Transport Minister A K Saseendran said.
However, the corporation is staring at an even bigger crisis. It may have found a way to pay its employees but the fuel supply may be cut anytime.
The corporation owes the Indian Oil Corporation and private diesel pump operators over Rs 112 crore as fuel prices. The pump operators have been turning away KSRTC buses because they have not been paid after December 24.
The KSRTC managed to get fuel for its buses in Thiruvananthapuram after authorities held talks with five pump operators in the city this week.
