Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran told the Assembly on Thursday that the government had given more time for commercial vehicles to fix GPS to stave off the Statewide motor strike scheduled for June 18.
Capping the discussion on demands for grants for transport and taxes on vehicles, Mr. Saseendran said the State-run Kerala United Electrical in Kollam would provide GPS devices at subsidised rates to commercial vehicle owners on an instalment basis to mitigate the financial distress caused by a cash down purchase.
The KSRTC would consider profitability as the sole criterion for operating schedules. The Minister said it was inevitable that the public utility, which is facing substantial operational losses, would call off a bulk of its operations to far-flung rural localities.
It would start long-distance operations on the Ernakulam-Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai and Cumbom-Theni-Chennai sectors. The KSRTC could pay salary to employees without having to borrow owing to the government's streamlining of its services.
The government would start solar-powered water taxis and water buses from Thoppumpadi in Kochi. The Transport Department would encourage the use of hybrid and electric vehicles to curb pollution.
The House later passed the demand by vote.