PANAJI
The State-owned public transport operator Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) is keen to resume its services on some key profitable inter-State routes, particularly in Maharashtra, to minimise its daily operational losses.
Last weekend, KTCL re-started its services on some routes to Karnataka, including to Belagavi, Karwar and Gokarn for the first time since suspending operations in mid-March following the national lockdown.
Some 15 buses have been put into operation on these routes in Karnataka, a top official said.
It is now looking to resume its services to destinations in Maharashtra which however is yet to announce post Unlock 4.0 SOPs for inter-state travel.
The Corporation is facing massive losses in its daily operations after it put into operation some 200-plus buses for intra-State services amid strict physical distancing restrictions. Buses are required to operate at half their capacities as per rules imposed amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Private bus operators have virtually gone off the roads barring some which ply on profitable routes or shorter ones in rural Goa, thus imposing a greater burden to fulfill the transportation needs of the public on the KTCL.
The Corporation has been operating at approximate monthly losses of Rs 10-crore since March.
