Setting his agenda straight for the transport department ahead of joining the ministry, Kerala Congress (B) leader K B Ganesh Kumar on Friday said that his primary objective would be to stop the income drain in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). "There is a need for clarity regarding KSRTC's accounts. However, no measures that could harm employees will be adopted," he said.
"No one should dream of stealing even a penny from KSRTC," he said.
Talking to the media, the minister-designate denied writing to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding the cinema portfolio. "I have not sought the cinema portfolio. However, I will be happy to take up that responsibility as well," said Ganesh.
"If we have the support of the people and employees, we can bring about some changes. I am not promising any miracle. But changes can be made brought in the field of public transport," Ganesh said.
"KSRTC is in a bad shape. That can be rescued to some extent. We need to bring in discipline and eliminate all irregularities. My goal is to eliminate corruption. Seal all leaks. Control costs and increase revenue," he outlined his plans for the transport department.
"There are some ideas on how to increase revenue without squeezing the general public and commuters. One of the is to run small-sized buses in rural areas rather than diesel vehicles which get mileage of 3 kmpl. Smaller buses have a mileage of 7 kmpl. A scheme will be brought to ensure bus connectivity in all rural areas of Kerala," said Ganesh.
