Kozhikode: The Nava Kerala bus, which has been at the centre of controversy since its inception, is now lying idle in Kozhikode. The luxury bus used by the Chief Minister and Ministers for the Nava Kerala Sadas outreach programme is currently stationed at the KSRTC Kozhikode Regional Workshop. The bus, which was operating as a Garuda Premium Bus on the Kozhikode-Bengaluru route after its Nava Kerala rides, has now been gathering dust under the guise of maintenance.
The bus service was halted, and the vehicle was transferred to the regional workshop on July 21. It should be noted that, although the service was operated from Kozhikode, decisions were made at KSRTC headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. According to information from the authorities, the Nava Kerala bus was moved to the workshop to remove the bathroom, which had been highlighted as a key feature of the bus purchased at great expense by the State Government, and to install additional seats in that space.
However, no response has been received from KSRTC headquarters regarding the commencement of the work, and the bus is now left in a corner. Neither the KSRTC depot authorities nor the workshop authorities know when the work will start or when the bus will return to service. The bus has not been used for any other services since December 23, following the Nava Kerala Yatra.
As speculation about the bus being moved to a museum gained traction, it was operated as a Garuda Premium service on the Kozhikode-Bengaluru route from May 5. Meanwhile, its bathroom tank began leaking, leading to numerous service suspensions due to a lack of passengers. Initially, there was high demand for bus tickets.
However, over time, seats were occupied only on weekends and at the start of the week. On several occasions, the bus departed Kozhikode with only five or six passengers and had to stop servicing without a single passenger. There were also earlier complaints about the bus’s scheduled departure from Kozhikode at 4 am, which was deemed unscientific given the traffic patterns.
Interestingly, CPM senior leader A K Balan had previously suggested alternative uses for the bus when controversies arose following the government’s purchase of the luxury vehicle. “See, the running period of the bus will expire in 15 years. After that, if it is kept in a museum, lakhs of people will buy tickets just to have a passing look at this grand bus with ‘historical’ significance.
Who wouldn’t want to take a look at the luxury bus used by their beloved Communist leaders? This is an opportunity we shouldn’t miss,” A K Balan had said. CPM state secretary M V Govindan had also shared a similar opinion on the bus. Govindan believed that with Pinarayi and his group of ministers travelling in the bus, its value would shoot up to the zenith.
“The bus will be a prestigious possession of Kerala,” said Govindan..
