Transport minister ridicules Cong’s promise of free bus travel for women on KSRTC

Thiruvananthapuram: Transport minister K B Ganesh Kumar on Sunday ridiculed Congress's promise of free bus travel for women in KSRTC if UDF came to power in the upcoming elections.Kumar said implementing such a promise would not be difficult, but warned that within two months both KSRTC and the public would face serious difficulties. He said the transport corporation was only just beginning to recover from financial stress and accused UDF of earlier attempts that weakened the department.Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Kumar said Gandhi claimed that all women in Karnataka were given free bus travel, but reports now indicate that the state transport corporations there are facing heavy losses and financial difficulties.KSRTC here is not yet profitable but is reducing its daily losses and improving revenue, said Kumar. The corporation still has several liabilities, including payments due to pensioners, he said. Despite these challenges, employees are working hard to ensure salaries are paid on time and operations continue without major losses, he added."If the promise made by Rahul Gandhi is implemented even for two months, KSRTC will not be able to pay salaries and the corporation itself may not survive," the minister said.Kumar said trying to attract votes by spending public funds during elections was not appropriate. He said KSRTC wouldn't be able to bear the burden of universal free travel. He argued that if free travel was provided, it should be limited to the poor or those holding below poverty line (BPL) cards. He questioned the need to extend the benefit to affluent women or govt employees earning more than Rs 40,000 per month.The minister said govt led by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan provided around Rs 50 crore per month for salaries and Rs 74 crore for pensions to support KSRTC. He also pointed out that KSRTC offered targeted assistance, including ‘Happy Long Life' card that allows patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment to travel free on buses up to the superfast category.