Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday 10 February 2110: Steps for the construction of a terminal for long distance buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) near Eenchakkal on the NH 47 bypass in the capital will commence soon, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone of the Rs.55.94-crore bus terminal complex at the central bus station at Thampanoor, Achuthanandan said the complex would be a giant leap forward in the development of the capital. All should work together to complete the project within 24 months, he said.

The Chief Minister said the project was part of the effort to increase the non-ticketing revenue of the KSRTC and to make it self-sufficient. The government had rolled out 1,965 new buses during the last three years and commenced 949 schedules.

As many as 9,000 persons were recruited through the Public Service Commission (PSC) and 6,930 conductors would be posted in the next three months. The 285 services as part of the Malabar Service was a big solace to the commuters in the northern districts.

The KSRTC holds 26 per cent of the bus services operated in the State now compared to the 13 per cent four years ago. The government had pumped in Rs.384 crore during the last three-and-a-half years to bring the KSRTC out of the red.

Transport Minister Jose Thettayil, who presided over the function, said the attitude of the personnel had helped in creating a good image and working culture in the KSRTC. He said orders had been issued to 256 supervisory posts on Tuesday.

Public Works Minister P.J. Joseph, Devaswom Kadannappally Ramachandran, the former Minister, Mathew T. Thomas, MLAs V. Sivankutty, V. Surendran Pillai and K.K. Divakaran, Mayor C. Jayan Babu, KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director T.P. Senkumar, Secretary G. Venugopal, Chief Engineer of the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) S.R.J. Navakumar and councillor L. Mini spoke.

A two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to the six persons killed in the building collapse near the site on February 1.