Kerala minister, Thiruvananthapuram mayor spar over use of Smart City e-buses

Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V.V. Rajesh and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar clashed over the operation of electric buses funded by the Central government as part of the Smart City project. The dispute centers on whether the KSRTC is violating its contract by extending the service to mofussil areas, with Rajesh accusing them of contractual violation and Kumar arguing that the Corporation should handle the buses' operations. Kumar proposed replacing the fleet with diesel mini-buses, citing high maintenance costs and low returns for the electric buses.