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Friday, Aug 08, 2008
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KSRTC to sign agreement

Special Correspondent

Additional inter-State bus services

Services to be run during festival seasons
KSRTC to buy three Volvo buses

NEW DELHI: The Kerala and Karnataka State road transport corporations will sign a new agreement on either August 28 or 29 for the operation of additional buses in each other’s States in view of the coming Onam, Christmas and Sabarimala seasons.

Kerala Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas told mediapersons here on Wednesday that the draft agreement would be finalised at a meeting of officials of both State transport undertakings in Thiruvananthapuram on August 11. Under the agreement, an additional 64 buses of Kerala will ply in Karnataka for a distance of 13,710 km a day. Karnataka buses will ply for an additional 13,646 km in Kerala. Kerala now operates 147 buses in Karnataka covering 34,000 km a day in that State. Both States have worked out the routes and destinations.

Mr. Thomas, who was here to participate in a conference of State Transport Ministers, said the Left Democratic Front government had cancelled the tender given to a firm by the previous Congress-led government for implementing a smart card project (for issuing driving licence and vehicle registration certificate) as the rate quoted by it – ie. Rs.198 for a smart card and Rs.395 for a smart optical card — was too high. Now the government has decided to call for a new tender as it has learnt that the Madhya Pradesh government is implementing a similar project for as low as Rs.67 a smart card.

He said the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) would soon buy three new Volvo buses for plying in various routes.

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