RTC to switch to green fuel to cut cost: Raju

Besides LNG 3,000 buses into CNG in buses, plan to view of the rising price of high-speed diesel. convert 3,000 others into CNG Aid to bus operators TheMinister said the govern- Special Correspondent ment was ready to offer fi- nancial assistance to private The State Road Tran- bus operators if they came sport Corporation (KSRTC) forward to shift to LNG. will launch 400 liquefied nat- On the concerns about re- ural gas (LNG) buses in one fuelling LNG, he said Petro- year if the trial run of the net had been asked to look LNG buses is a success, Tran- into the possibility of setting sport Minister Antony Raju The first LNG bus of the KSRTC ready for its maiden trip to up dispensing units at Aluva, has said. from Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. * S. MAHINSHA Ettumanur, Pappanamcode Flagging off the maiden and Vellarada on the KSRTC service of the LNG-powered fleet’s operational costs and conditioned buses handed premises . bus from Thiruvananthapu- reduce pollution. over by Petronet LNG Limit- KSRTC Chairman and Ma- ram to Ernakulam at the ed to the KSRTC are used for naging Director Biju Prabha- KSRTC Central bus station at Daily service operating the services on a kar and Petronet LNG Limit- Thampanoor here on Mon- The daily services will be on trial basis for three months. ed Vice President Yogananda day, the Minister said the in- the Ernakulam-Thiruvanan- Along with the LNG buses, Reddy signed a memoran- itiative was to switch over to thapuram and Kozhikode-Er- the KSRTC had worked out dum of understanding at the green fuel to bring down the nakulam sectors. Two air- plans to convert another function.