- All is not well with Kerala Transport, Olectra Electric Bus procured by KSRTC seen dumped at Ernakulam Depot
- Krishnaprakash V N, the Photo Journalist with a leading Malayalam daily Janayugam, captured the viral photography put KSRTC management into corrective measures
- Kerala was one of the first states with EV Policy announced in early 2019
There is no doubt that Kerala, the small state in the southern tip of the subcontinent, is very progressive and have many achievements in its belt, including 100% literacy. Not to be left behind on the Electric Mobility Revolution in the county, Kerala was among one of the early states to announce its EV Policy on 10th March 2019, with a high target of 1 Million Electric Vehicles on the road by 2022. By 2020, the Kerala Government was expected to reach registrations of 2 Lakh electric Two-wheelers, 50000 electric Three Wheelers, 1000 electric Goods carriers and 3000 electric Buses.
When Green Mobility paved way for Urban Forestry
However, while there is a steady growth of EV in the state, there are contrasting images as well. In November 2020, when we don’t have a clear picture of what is the status of achieving the above numbers, a picture clicked from the Ernakulam Garage of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), the state-run public transport by a photojournalist Krishnaprakash V N of Janayugam Newspaper, Kochi states a very different and interesting electric mobility story. One of the Olectra Electric Buses with the state-run corporation was seen dumped at the garage unattended, and plants almost growing into the bus. We can analyze from the ground reality of much-hyped electrification of public transport in the country.
KSRTC is a loss-making transport company and always gets its media attention for all the wrong reasons, just like Air India for the Union Government. The investor being the common man, there is no accountability of running the business professionally. India has a huge potential in improving its electric mobility share and people associated with the industry are demanding the improvement of infrastructure, be it component manufacturing, assembling, or charging infra.
Responsible Journalism & Social Media Impact
Krishnaprakash’s eyes caught the green reality of green mobility on the 16th of October 2020, and Janayugam newspaper published the photo news on 17th October. The people took the cause over social media, getting much-needed attention. On 18th October 2020, KSRTC Chairman & Managing Director Biju Prabhakar got involved in the matter, and the garage got a makeover, deforestation was done with immediate effect. In a press note released by the corporation, it was informed that P P Martin, the depot engineer of Ernakulam was transferred to Sultan Bethery.
Along with the Olectra Electric Bus, there were 138 buses parked in the garage, in which only 46 were getting operated on a daily basis. Just not at Ernakulam Depot, many KSRTC depots across the state were reported with poor management of its fleet. Converting the state into clean energy mobility, KSRTC plays a major role in later controlling the major public transport ecosystem. With abundant sunlight throughout the year, a solar-powered charging infrastructure can make Kerala a role model for the entire globe, in the fight against climate change.
Kerala’s Promising EV Journey
Kerala has some existing factors that might prove to be advantageous for implementing eMobility in the state, but achieving the goals of its EV policy looks remote. There is virtually no rural-urban divide in the state with literally one highway connecting the entire state from North to South. The bus service in the state is also very popular, apart from city routes, there are many intercity bus routes in the state.
There is a prevalence of buses run by private players along with the government fleet. Going by state EV policy, Kerala RTC has been sanctioned 250 e-buses under FAME II for intracity operations. Also, Kochi Private Bus Operators approached the Government to form ‘Kochi EBus Ltd.’ with a 26% stake from the Kerala Government.
Thanks to Krishnaprakash, the status of affairs at KSRTC is out, but the stories are no different at many other state-run corporations. A disciplined, competitive, collaborative, and systematic approach can only bring sustainable growth in the successful implementation of electric mobility, especially in the Indian public transport ecosystem.
