Biju Prabhakar may step down from KSRTC CMD post

Amid the simmering discontent between Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Biju Prabhakar and new Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar over a host of issues in the public utility, the former has reportedly given a letter to the Chief Secretary informing him of his decision to step down from the post of KSRTC CMD.

Amid the simmering discontent between Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Biju Prabhakar and new Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar over a host of issues in the public utility, the former has reportedly given a letter to the Chief Secretary informing him of his decision to step down from the post of KSRTC CMD. He is also ready to relinquish the Transport Secretary post.

Disquiet has been simmering between the two ever since the new Minister assumed charge of the Transport department. The difference of opinion came to the fore recently when Mr. Kumar announced that electric buses pressed for operation in Thiruvananthapuram city would be replaced with diesel buses, citing that the bus services were making losses. However, the accounts with the KSRTC revealed that the e-bus services were making profits.

Following this, the Minister publicly expressed his dissatisfaction over the developments in the KSRTC and said he would not make any public comments regarding the KSRTC and that officials would explain everything. Mr. Prabhakar had expressed his willingness to step down after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) decided to give the Transport portfolio to the new Minister as part of a power-sharing agreement among the coalition partners in the LDF.

However, he continued in the post after the State government refused to entertain his plea. Now, Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan is likely to take a call on his letter after coming back to the State capital from New Delhi.