Volvo against more low-floor A/C buses

KOCHI: With the first phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects set to end soon, chances of Kochi getting more low-floor A/C buses have become dim.It is learnt that owing to the delay in payment, Volvo has decided not to deliver more buses to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram this year. Of the 80 buses allotted to both the cities, 62 has been delivered so far. Among them, 42 are conducting services in Kochi and 20 in Thiruvananthapuram.Sources in Volvo said the company would deliver buses to the cities after the dues were cleared.“However, the payment for the last set of buses which were delivered is yet to be cleared and the company has decided not to deliver the remaining  buses,” sources said.Though 80 buses were sanctioned for both the cities, the KSRTC had earlier decided to restrict the number of buses in Thiruvananthapuram to 20, owing to the poor response. It had also planned to roll out the remaining number of buses in Kochi.However, a Corporation official said that the civic body was  unaware of the issue.“Since the state government has not formed the special purpose vehicle (SPV) at the time of the launch of the buses, their operation is fully controlled by the KSRTC itself. They will not discuss any developments in this regard with the Corporation,” the official said.“The buses were introduced as part of the public transport project under the JNNURM. The formation of the SPV for the management of these buses is mandatory as per the JNNURM guidelines. But the KSRTC has  ignored this and conducted operations according to its plans,” the official said.Parking lot getting readyKochi: The KSRTC has started land filling at the 3.5 acres it owns at Thevara for parking low-floor A/C buses.The work of the new garage is expected to be completed on a war-footing as the KSRTC is finding it difficult to find space for the buses at the existing depot in Ernakulam.The KSRTC has already handed over one acre of its land near the existing garage for the construction of a new rail overbridge (RoB) connecting Rajaji Road to Salim Rajan Road. This will further limit the parking space of the existing depot.“The preliminary works, including land filling, have already been started in Thevara. We expect to complete the work within the stipulated time,” said P L Jose, KSRTC zonal officer. Jose said the KSRTC was considering the options to shift the base of Thiru Kochi buses to Thevara. “The authorities are considering both options. However, whether to shift Thiru Kochi buses or low-floor buses is yet to be finalised,“ said Jose.Apart from facilities like garage, the rest rooms for the crew will also be constructed in the depot.