KMTA badly in need of funds, personnel

Treasury issues standing in the way of utilising the meagre funds allocated by govt.

The Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA), the first agency of its kind in India to have full-fledged legislative backing and was constituted in November 2020 to usher in qualitative and quantitative improvement in commuting in the Greater-Kochi area, has been hamstrung due to non-allocation of adequate personnel and funds by the Finance Department. The KMTA could not take up any activity, as it has not been provided manpower. It does not even have a full-fledged Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with the result that Jafar Malik, the CEO of Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), is holding additional charge of the agency. Even the meagre funds that were allotted by the State government could not be utilised due to treasury issues. The situation is such that personnel from the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) have to spare their time to ensure that the KMTA stays afloat. Supporting staff have not been provided, although demands were raised at multiple fora. The focus on Assembly elections too hit its operations, sources said.