The fleet expansion plans of Pappanamcode depot of the Kerala state road transport corporation is hit due to space crunch at the parking yard. The space crunch is mainly due to accommodation of vehicles seized by the motor vehicles department (MVD) in the yard.
The depot has 98 buses and operates around 87 buses in the schedule.
Around 30 vehicles, including private buses, tempos and autorickshaws, seized by the MVD are parked at the depot. According to the unit officer of the depot, many of these vehicles have been abandoned for more than two years and are rusting away. These corroding vehicles occupy the space of nearly 20 buses, he added.
Also, space is occupied by newly-constructed buses at the central works, Pappanamcode, that are also parked at the depot before they are allotted to other depots.
The drivers of the depot are forced to park the buses in the interior area of the depot covered in thickets during late night. It is the crawling creatures found in tool boxes or in the machinery at workshop that the drivers fear the most while parking the buses in the poorly-lit area.
“There is not enough light in the area and many a time we see snakes crawling in the area,” said a driver.
“Several requests have been sent to MVD to remove the vehicles from the parking yard. But they are yet to take any step regarding this. We cannot apply for more buses as there is insufficient space. The drivers are complaining that they are forced to park the buses on the backside of the depot. There is lack of clarity with regard to the regulation of time limit on the custody of vehicles and its auction procedure,” said the unit officer at the depot.
Most of the vehicles that are parked by MVD at the depot were seized in connection with tax default cases. Some of the vehicles were detained in connection with registration and fitness test issues.
According to transport commissioner S Aanandakrishnan, the department does not have sufficient area in its centres in the city to park the seized vehicles.
