TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday proposed setting up of Rs 400 crore corpus to lift the Kadamba Transport Corporation out of its quagmire, since it is perennially in the red. Government is also contemplating the commercialization of most KTC bus stands to generate revenue for the corporation. The corporation’s annual loss stands around Rs 12 to 13 crore.
Parrikar also announced that 300 buses will be added to the existing fleet of 500, over the next two years. He was addressing employees at the KTC’s 34th anniversary celebrations.
The chief minister admitted that the KTC’s financial situation is not sound, with State government lending over Rs 15 crore to KTC annually, as the gap between expenditure and revenue is huge.
“The revenue collected is not sufficient even to pay employees’ salaries,” the chief minister ascertained, adding the KTC’s loan liability of Rs 40 crore needs to be cleared. Parrikar assured that all pending dues would be cleared within the next two years. He also said that the government would be adopting a series of measures to make KTC financially viable.
“Unless one considers KTC as its own baby, no one will be able to work for its upliftment,” he said, speaking in presence of Transport Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar, KTC Chairman Carlos Almeida and other officials.
Parrikar also announced that government has modified KTC’s ambitious concession pass scheme, wherein pass holders will have to pay an additional 10 percent. “For example, we give 50 percent concession to weekly pass. This we have reduced to 40 percent, and commuters will have to pay 60 percent. He said that the modified scheme would be implemented from November 1. Apart from this government has increased subsidy on scheme to KTC from 60 percent to 75 percent.
As of now, total 46,000 people have availed benefits under the pass system and there is possibility that within next few months, the figures will touch 55,000,
Parrikar said.
