KOCHI: The bus fare in the state will not reduced in proportion to the fall in diesel prices, transport minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told reporters in Kottayam on Sunday.
The government-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is facing a severe financial crisis and in such a situation it would not be prudent to bring down the ticket fare, he said.
Diesel price alone is not the determinant in fixing the fare, he said, and added that the price of spare parts and tyre have gone up substantially.
The Dearness Allowance had also gone up by 20 per cent, he added. “The monthly loss of KSRTC has gone up to Rs 111 cr per month from Rs 98 cr despite fall in diesel price”, he said.
The government has partly abandoned the move to impose cess on tickets following the fall in diesel prices as a relief to commuters, he added.
The fall in diesel price had resulted in a saving of Rs 16 lakh, he said. The minister said that the government is trying to make corporation a profitable venture in the next 3 months.
On Karnataka registering the trademark of KSRTC, Thiruvanchoor said that Kerala will not give up the right to use the KSRTC.
