The Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will operate 89 more inter-State services on 49 routes to Tamil Nadu and the latter’s transport utility will operate 54 more services on 30 routes to Kerala.
The VIth Supplemental Inter-State Transport Agreement to this effect was signed by Principal Secretary, Transport, Kerala, K.R. Jyothilal, and Transport Commissioner, Tamil Nadu, C. Samaya Murthi at the Government Guest House, Thycaud, here on Tuesday.
Transport Minister A. K. Saseendran and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M. R. Vijaya Bhaskar; Transport Commissioner K. Padmakumar; Chairman and Managing Director of the KSRTC A. Hemachandran; Managing Director, TNSTC, Moni; and Managing Director, SETC, R. Ananthapadmanabhan; and senior transport and State transport undertaking officials were present on the occasion.
With the new agreement, the sixth being signed between the two States since 1976, the number of km operated by the KSRTC’s inter-State services in Tamil Nadu will go up by 8,865 km to touch 33,016.4 km.
Tamil Nadu’s transport utility can operate an additional 8,801 km in Kerala once the agreement comes into effect.
Weekend services
The State-owned transport utilities of the States can also operate additional services during weekends-Friday to Monday, summer season commencing from March 15 and ending June 15, and during festival periods in the two States as per the reciprocal agreement.
Later, speaking to mediapersons, Mr. Saseendran said the new services were being launched with an eye on the travel needs of those staying in the border districts of the two States. “Both the governments desire to commence the additional services at the earliest. The services will cement the bond between the two States further,” he added.
The Transport Minister said that the KSRTC would soon arrange the required number of buses to operate the additional inter-State services and it would not be a big problem.
New services
The new services of the KSRTC are mainly on the Ernakulam-Chennai, Ernakulam-Puducherry, Arthunkal-Velankanni, Palakkad-Coimbatore, Idukki-Kambamedu, Kottayam-Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram-Ootty, Thiruvananthapuram-Pechipara, Thiruvananthapuram-Colachel, Thiruvananthapuram-Thengapattnam and Thiruvananthapuram-Attinkara rotues.
