Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Transport Minister C P John on Monday said the state government would conduct a census to compile accurate data on all vehicles.
He said the exercise was part of the government's efforts to curb air pollution and formulate a comprehensive transport policy.
Replying to the discussion on the demands for grants in the Assembly, the minister said the proposed transport policy would accord equal importance to pedestrian safety and vehicular traffic.
He said the vehicle census would be carried out under the leadership of the transport department to facilitate stricter measures to curb air pollution.
The minister asserted that irregularities reported in some other states in connection with pollution under control certificates would not be allowed in Kerala.
To reduce accidents involving pedestrians, the government has decided to widen zebra crossings at major junctions across the state, he added.
John defended the UDF government's 'Priyadarshini' free bus travel scheme for women, saying that although it imposed a financial burden on the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, it had significantly strengthened the household finances of ordinary women.
The minister said the number of women travelling on KSRTC buses had increased from around 10 lakh a day to nearly 15 lakh after the scheme was launched.
While the scheme results in a daily liability of around Rs 2.5 crore for KSRTC, it puts more than Rs 7 crore directly into the hands of ordinary women every day, he said, adding that Rs 600 crore had been allocated for the scheme in the Budget.
To improve KSRTC's functioning, people's management committees, headed by MLAs, would be constituted in all 93 KSRTC depots on the lines of hospital management committees, the minister said.
He also sought the cooperation of all MLAs, cutting across party lines, to increase the number of 'Gramavandi' rural bus services from the present 58 to 500.
