This section deals with the development of different modes of transport in Kerala and the efforts of the State to enhance economic development by fostering the development of different modes of transport.
Road Transport
India has the second largest road network in the world after USA. India’s road network stands at over 62,15,797km. This comprises of National Highways and Expressways (1,36,440km), State Highways (1,76,818km), and other roads (59,02,539km) including district roads and village roads. India’s road network carries 65 per cent of freight traffic and 85 per cent of passenger traffic. National Highways (NH) form the economic backbone of the country and have often facilitated development along their routes with many new towns developing alongside the major highways. The National Highways facilitate medium and long-distance inter-city passenger and freight traffic across the country. The details of road network in India are given in Table 11.1.1
The State Highways (SHs) are intended to carry the traffic along major centres within the State. Major District Roads provide the secondary function of linkage between main roads and rural roads. The Other District Roads and Village Roads provide accessibility to the towns and villages to meet their social needs as also the means to transport agriculture produce from villages to nearby markets.
Road Profile of Kerala
Total road length in Kerala is 2,38,773.02km. This includes classified and non-classified roads as stipulated by Indian Road Congress. Road density in Kerala is 548km per 100 sq. km, which is roughly three times the national average. The length of road per lakh population is 993.54km and almost 90 per cent of the road network is single lane. The National Highways, considered to be the primary network, carries 40 per cent of the total traffic, and the State Highways and Major District Roads (MDRs) - the secondary road network – carries another 40 per cent of the road traffic. Thus around 12 per cent of the road network handles almost 80 per cent of the traffic in the State. The major development indicators of transport sector in the State since 2021 are given in Appendix 11.1.1.
There are 11 National Highways (NHs) in the State having a total length of 1,781.50km. Out of this total length, the NH Wing of State PWD maintains a length of 548.00km and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) maintains 1,233.50km. The State maintained NH portion comprises of 51.00km road with paved shoulders, 331.00km with 2 lane and 166.00km with intermediate lane. The district wise status of roads maintained by NH wing is given in Appendix 11.1.2. The details of NH in Kerala are presented in Table 11.1.2.
The major roads in the State are developed and maintained by the State Public Work Department, which accounts for about 12 per cent of the state road network. The total length of roads maintained by PWD Roads and Bridges (PWD-R&B) is 29,522.150km in 2020-21, which comprises of 4,127.83km (13.98 per cent) State Highways and 25,394.32km (86.01 per cent) Major District Roads (MDRs). Out of the total length of the State highways, 898.74km is four lanes, 3,193.50km is two lanes and remaining 35.75km is single lane roads. Out of the 25,394.32km of MDRs, 52.51km is four lanes, 10,593.03 km is two lanes and remaining 14,748.46 km is single lane roads.
Kottayam District tops in the share of PWD maintained roads. It is with 3,310.440km (11.21 per cent) in length. Wayanad District has the got lowest share of 856.950km (2.90 per cent). Details of district wise and category wise length of roads maintained by PWD (R&B) are given in Appendix 11.1.3 and 11.1.4.
There are 2,778 bridges maintained by PWD Bridges Wing along State Highways (41), Major District Roads and Other District Roads (2,098) and Village Roads and ROBs (139). Out of the total bridges, 111 bridges built across National Waterways (65) and State Waterways (46). The Department has identified 58 bridges that to be reconstructed. The department has been undertaking construction of 103 bridges as of now. Details of bridges and culverts in PWD Bridges wing as on March 31, 2021 are given in Appendix 11.1.5.
Of the total road network in the State, 83.74 per cent is owned and operated by the Local Self Government and PWD maintains 13.1 per cent of roads including the national highways. Agency wise details of roads developed and maintained in the State are given in Table 11.1.3.
The roads maintained by different Local Governments in 2020-21 is 1,99,953.70 km, of which 1,31,597.6 km (49.58 per cent) are black topped, 31,395.10 km (11.83 per cent) are cement concrete, 72,762.70 km are earthen roads (27.41 per cent), 18,669.70 km metalled roads (7.03 per cent) and others 10,996.02 km (4.14 per cent) with varying standards.
Table 11.1.2 National Highways (NH) in KeralaKerala
Table 11.1.3 Agency-wise distribution of State roads in Kerala in 2019-20 and 2020-21
Road Traffic
As on March 2021, there are 148.47 lakh motor vehicles registered in the State. For the last two decades, it had experienced a compounded annual growth rate of around 9 per cent. The number of vehicles per 1,000 populations for Kerala as on March, 2021 is 445. According to world development indicators (2015), number of vehicles per 1,000 populations in India is 18, China 47 and United States 507, which means Kerala’s vehicle population, is far ahead of China and at par with developed countries. The growth of vehicle population in Kerala has decreased by 4.7 per cent over the previous year. The growth in number of motor vehicles since 2011 last eleven years is shown in Figure 11.1.1.
Figure 11.1.1 Growth in number of motor vehicles since 2011
The number of motor vehicles having valid registrations as on March 31, 2021 is 1,48,47,163 as against 1,41,84,184 in the previous year. The number of newly registered vehicles in 2020-21 is 6,62,979 (8,49,200 in 2019-20). The details are given in the Appendix 11.1.6 and 11.1.7. The percentage of category-wise motor vehicles registered in 2020-21 is shown in Figure 11.1.2.
Figure 11.1.2 Distribution of motor vehicles registered by type in 2020-21
The highest vehicle population was recorded in Ernakulam District with 21,31,332 vehicles (14.35 per cent) followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 18,49,460 (12.45 per cent). Wayanad District has the lowest number of 2,47,215 vehicles (1.66 per cent). The District-wise growth in number of motor vehicles in Kerala is given in Appendix 11.1.8. Category-wise growth of motor vehicle registrations in Kerala during 2012-13 to
2020-21 is given in Appendix 11.1.9. The mismatch between growth in motor vehicles and the capacity augmentation of roads has resulted in increasing traffic congestion and road accidents throughout Kerala.
A shift to green mobility is spectacular in the State. The electric two wheeler registration in Kerala as on September, 2021 is 4,742 as against 1,334 in the previous year, showing an increase of 28.13 per cent. Upto to September 2021, the number of e-Rickshaw (passenger) registered is 728. At the same time it was 544 during the previous year. The three wheelers (personal) registration shows (-)77.41 per cent decrease in registration. The e-vehicle registration details in Kerala in 2020 and 2021 (up to September, 2021) are given in Appendix 11.1.10.
The State is extensively promoting electric vehicles (EVs) for use in government offices. Followed by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), other departments have also placed orders for ‘plug-in electric vehicles’ on dry-leased from the Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a Central Government institution under the Ministry of Power, through the Agency for Non -Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT). As a shift to green mobility, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is on to introduce 10 hydrogen-powered buses on a pilot basis in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).
The Covid-19 restrictions and continuous lockdowns adversely affected vehicle sales and the revenue earned by Kerala Motor Vehicles Department through vehicle tax and others earnings. It has fallen from ₹4,582.92 crore in 2019-20 to ₹3,184.52 crore in 2020-21, which is 30.51 per cent decrease over the previous year. The revenue earned till September, 2021 was ₹1,688.8 crore.
Road Safety
The major road network of Kerala, though well connected, faces severe constraints because of the urban sprawl and the haphazard ribbon development all along the routes. The existing traffic levels at most stretches are excessive and beyond the road capacity. The traffic on roads is steadily increasing at an average rate of 12 to 14 per cent per year creating pressure on State road network. Capacity augmentation of existing roads is beset with problems relating to limited right of way and land acquisition.
According to State Crime Records Bureau of Kerala, 2,979 deaths and 30,510 injuries were reported in Kerala in 2020 from 27,877 road accidents. Up to August, 2021, 20,818 accidents cases were reported. Road traffic accidents are attributed mainly to driving, road condition, vehicle condition and environment. Road Safety being a complex issue, it requires consistent, prolonged and concerted efforts from various stakeholders to achieve the goals.
Even though several initiatives have been taken by the Motor Vehicles Department and Police to enforce rules and road discipline, road accidents are increasing. The increasing trend of traffic accidents is a matter of concern. The District-wise motor vehicle accidents in Kerala and the category-wise details of motor vehicles involved in road accidents are given in Appendix 11.1.11 and 11.1.12 respectively.
Majority of road accidents are by two wheelers that constitute 65 per cent of vehicles registered in the State. The percentage of vehicle category-wise accidents in Kerala in 2020 is shown in Figure 11.1.3.
Figure 11.1.3 Details of road accident by vehicle type in Kerala in 2020
A total of 1,521 bus accidents were registered in the State in 2020. Out of this KSRTC buses are involved in 296 accidents. Upto August 2021, KSRTC buses involved in 174 accidents and other buses in 792 accidents. The number of two wheelers has increased from 92.07 lakh in 2019-20 to 96.72 lakh in 2020-21, recording an average annual growth rate of 5.05 per cent. The number of traffic crashes involving two wheelers has decreased from 34,473 (94 per day) in 2018 to 8,533 (23.37 per day) in 2021. Two wheeler accidents account for nearly 41 per cent and motor cars for 30.30 per cent respectively of the total accidents reported in the State. Trend of motor vehicle accidents in Kerala is presented in Figure 11.1.4.
Figure 11.1.4 Trend of motor vehicle accidents in Kerala
The accidents per lakh vehicles registered in the State were 305 in 2018-19, and it reduced to 188 in 2020. In 2020, 27,877 road accident cases were reported. Though occurrence of accidents had exhibited fluctuations during various time periods, it showed a definite pattern of decline over years. The accident trend in Kerala during 2011-2020 is given is Table 11.1.4.
Table 11.1.4 Accident trend in Kerala in 2011-2020
It is to be highlighted that there is a constant decrease in accidents per lakh vehicles every year since 2011. This may be attributed to the improvements made in roads.
Most of the accidents are attributable to the fault of drivers as per records available with traffic police. However, deficiencies in road design also affect motor vehicles, a fact generally overlooked as bad road conditions. Road safety training for various categories of road users, rectification in road design, deficiencies in inclusion of road safety aspects in the planning and operation stages of road construction are the primary facts to be taken up for reducing accidents.
Black Spots: Identification, analysis and treatment of black spots are widely regarded as one of the most effective approaches in preventing road crashes. The NHAI has defined hazardous locations based on Accidents Severity Index (ASI) and Black spots as Hazardous spots with Accidents Severity Index (ASI) more than threshold value (Average Severity + 1.5*Standard Deviation).
The NATPAC had identified 340 priority black-spots all over Kerala in 2019 based on crash data provided by Police Department for the years 2016-2018. It was further classified into high-risk black-spots (232 locations) and moderate-risk black spots (108 locations). The agency has also suggested immediate short-term improvement measures for the selected crash black-spots to Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA) in March, 2021. Based on the crash data provided by the police department for the year 2018-2020, NATPAC has conducted a study in 2021 and prepared provisional list of 4,592 crash black spots all over Kerala. Of the identified crash black-spots, 1,286 black-spots are on the National Highways in Kerala. There are 1462 black- spots on State Highways and 1844 black-spots on the Other Roads in Kerala. The Number of black spots identified across NH, SH and other roads are given in Table 11.1.5 wherein the categorisation of black spots has been made on the basis of fatality and frequency of accidents in black spots namely black spots coming under class I category is more prone for accident and fatality and the same will be lower in class III black spots.
Table 11.1.5 Crash black-spots according to Road Type
A provisional list of 374 priority black-spots has also been prepared from the list of crash black-spots, based on the discussions with Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA). There are 227 priority black-spots were identified on National Highways in Kerala followed by 84 priority black-spots on State Highways and 63 priority black-spots on Other Roads
Road Improvements
The State PWD is primarily responsible for policy, planning, design, construction and maintenance of the State Highways, MDRs and the National Highways on behalf of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK) and Road Infrastructure Company Kerala Limited (RICK) are also involved in implementation of road projects in the State.
The main source of funding for NH maintenance is GoI assistance. The Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) allocate funds based on weightage of 30:70 based on the geographical area of the States/Union Territories. Under CRIF, MoRTH approves the list of projects to be taken up in coordination with State Government and thereafter technical approval and financial approval are to be given by State Government. The State government usually advances fund for Central Road Fund works and later gets reimbursed from MoRTH. The status of CRIF works (State Roads) is given in Appendix 11.1.13.
However for keeping the National Highway in traffic worthy condition, the State Government also carries out improvement works using State Plan Funds and maintenance works using State Plan as well as Non Plan funds. Maintenance of Urban links to NHs and NH road bypass stretches are taken care of by the State NH wing. Routine maintenance, traffic safety works in National Highways, junction improvement works, bypass works, which are essential in the State, are being carried out using Kerala budgetary support.
No additional length of roads was added to SHs and MDRs in 2021-22. The works taken up include road improvements, repair and maintenance of existing roads, relaying and upgradation with a view to address geometrical improvement, junction improvement and other technical corrections. In 2020-21, development and improvement of roads for a total length of 6437.761km have been carried out including 3,873.167km of Bitumen Macadam and Bitumen Concrete (BM and BC) under various Plan schemes. This includes 207.573km State Highways (118.336km (BM and BC) and 6,230.188 km Major District Roads (3,754.831km BM and BC). The major activities of the Department involves traffic safety measures taken up in 16km in different Districts, 27 road works and two bridge works under CRIF scheme, construction of bye lanes to NH in Malappuram (2km) and final works of Attingal town improvement project. The Department succeeded in developing 512km of road using plastic waste and 2,672 km using Natural Rubber Modified Bitumen (NRMB). Further geotextiles were used in 50.4km of roads for stabilisation, and white topping applied to City Road improvement projects in Alappuzha District.
Road Maintenance wing is carrying out the data collection required for the implementation of Road Maintenance Management System (RMMS) from July, 2019 onwards. The overall objective of RMMS is to establish an enhanced and user friendly web based road information system. The main objective of RMMS is to optimize the use of limited resources available for maintenance works, to have a systematic approach and planning of road maintenance work and to reduce the entire transport costs through proper and timely road maintenance.
The prioritisation of Core Road Network (CRN) has also been done broadly based on economic importance, connectivity to economic growth centres and strategically important corridors, traffic volume, share of commercial vehicle, public transport routes, disaster relief and climatic resilient functionalities. Government has earmarked 7,000km of PWD roads as Core Road Network (CRN), including all State Highways and some MDRs. Out of this, 4,000km roads had been selected as pilot project for implementation of RMMS in all respect and it is likely to be completed by December, 2021. Data collection for the remaining 3,000km CRN is in progress and is expected to complete at the end of the financial year.
Data collection for the implementation of Output and Performance Based Road Maintenance Contract (OPBRC) for selected roads of Kerala for a period of 5/7 years was also started in 2019-20. Implementation of OPBRC in 2 packages for a total amount of ₹128.72 crore will be started soon. The other 2 packages are in tendering stage. Both the projects (OPBRC and RMMS) are being carried out with the financial assistance of World Bank through KSTP.
Box 11.1.1 Vehicle Scrappage Policy
Source: MoRTH, Govt. of India
Coastal Highway: The coastal highway from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod is a prestigious project envisaged by the Kerala Government along the most beautiful coastal belt of the State. The Government accorded sanction to construct a Coastal Highway parallel to the existing NH 66 starting from Kollankode in Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in the south and ending at Kunjathoor in Kasaragod District having a total length of 655km amounting to ₹6,500 crore with funding support from KIIFB. This Coastal Highway can reduce traffic congestion along the National Highways and this can even route container movement from the International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadom and the proposed transhipment terminal at Vizhinjam. The Coastal Highway will connect Vallarpadam, Kollam and Vizhinjam apart from other small ports and harbours and passes through 9 Districts. Coastal Highway stretches approved by KIIFB is given in Appendix 11.1.14.
Hill Highway: Government of Kerala declared State Highway 59 (SH 59) which is the longest State highway in Kerala as Hill Highway or Malayora highway connecting almost all district in Kerala except Alappuzha and starting from Nandarapadavu in Kasaragod to Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram District. The proposed hill highway envisages the development of the much-needed North-South corridors through the hilly regions by upgrading or improving the existing network optimally. The total length of Hill Highway is 1,332.16km, arrived on the basis of the alignment approved by the Government. The proposed Hill Highway is also called “Kerala Spices Route” as the same connects almost all the cities engaged in trade and cultivation of spices and other high range products in Kerala. The objective of forming such a Highway is to augment the trade, transportation of spices and agricultural products of high ranges as well as to reduce the traffic intensity in the main central road of Kerala. Also, the Hill Highway will facilitate development of the connecting places as industrial areas/IT hubs as there is sufficient vacant land available on high ranges. Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) is designated as Special Purpose Vehicle for the project. So far, work for 21 reaches have been sanctioned to the tune of ₹1,734.14 crore. The total length of sanctioned reaches is 521.79km. Work have been completed for 2 stretches and are progressing in other stretches. Hill Highway stretches approved by KIIFB is given in Appendix 11.1.15.
Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP): KSTP-II is a World Bank assisted project and the Bank has approved ₹2,403 crore (US $445 million) for the project. The disbursement ratio is 56:44 between World Bank and Government of Kerala for the eligible items (except land acquisition and operation cost). The original loan closure date was in April, 2019. This was extended to April, 2021.
The objective of the project is to improve the riding quality of 363km road section with enhanced road safety provisions. The project has three components (A) upgradation of 363km of road; (B) road safety management; and (C) institutional strengthening. The roads identified for improvement pass through about 87 villages covering eight Districts. The project includes innovative components like development of a demonstration safe corridor of 80 km, strengthening of Kerala Road Safety Authority and other institutions including PWD Road Safety Cell, Community Participatory Road and Asset Management Programmes, strengthening of Public Information and Grievance Redressel Cell in PWD and the pilot project on road improvement through Public Private Partnership (PPP). All the 11 stretches of KSTP Phase-II project have been completed except Koottupuzha bridge and approach road of Eranholi bridge. The details are presented in Appendix 11.1.16.
Challenge Fund Programme: Challenge fund falls under safety management initiatives of the World Bank assisted KSTP Programme-II. The objective of this programme is to develop another five “safe corridors/zones” across the State, through local partnerships. The Challenge Fund is intended to elicit innovative road safety proposals in a collaborative effort between local road user stakeholder groups and District Road Safety Councils (DRSCs), Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA), PWD and KSTP. The Challenge Fund will target high risk locations with opportunities to address highly vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motor cyclists). The evaluation criteria for the fund will be based on the accident history, innovativeness of approach and the extent of local participation and commitment. The details of works progressing under the Challenge Fund are given in Appendix 11.1.17.
Rebuild Kerala Initiative: As part of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI), KSTP has undertaken reconstruction/ restoration of the roads damaged due to the floods and landslides in 2018 utilizing World Bank assistance of ₹1,200.0 crore and German Development Bank assistance of ₹1,800.0 crore. World Bank would provide 100 per cent assistance under Development Policy Loan and German Development Bank (KfW) would provide loan assistance of 70 per cent of estimated cost. Based on the impact of flood and the importance of road in socio-economic development, 59 roads have been taken up under the project. DPR preparation of the selected roads is completed and bidding for arranging the contract works has been started. The projects funded by the World Bank are being undertaken on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode and that of German Bank is under item rate contract.
City Road Improvements: Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) is a statutory body under the State Government established by the Kerala Road Fund Act (KRF Act) 2001. It mainly implements the City Road Improvement Projects on Public Private Participation (PPP) mode. The KRFB has executed city improvements on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) Annuity mode. In Thiruvananthapuram City, 16 stretches of roads for length of 42.069km have been completed and now the project is in its Operation and Maintenance stage.
KRFB has completed the Kozhikode City Road Improvement Project Phase-I (A), which involved development of 22.251km over six corridors at a total concessionaire’s cost of ₹211.00 crore. An amount of ₹344.50 crore has been sanctioned for land acquisition works of Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road (Phase-I B) and is progressing. Subsequently, KRFB initiated Kozhikode City Road Improvement Project Phase-II involving development of ten roads for a length of 29.24km and it has been submitted to government for approval.
Kannur city development project involves improvement of 44.065 km of 11 corridors at an estimated cost of ₹401.467 crore excluding land acquisition cost. Acquisition of 26 hectares of land at an estimated cost of ₹337.648 crore is involved in the project. KRFB has resolved the issues with land acquisition and decided to take up seven out of 11 corridors as Phase-I.
The KRFB has also initiated projects in cities of Alappuzha, Thrissur, Kollam, Kottayam and Malappuram. In addition to the regular PPP works, KRFB is also engaged in funding of four PWD projects under Sustainable and Planned Effort to Ensure Infrastructure Development (SPEEID) Kerala Programme and five projects in District Flagship Infrastructure Project (DFIP). After the amendment to KIIF Act, KRFB was entrusted as the SPV for KIIFB funded projects as well.
The State Government has incorporated a special purpose vehicle, namely Road Infrastructure Company Kerala Limited (RICK) under KRFB to implement State Road Improvement Project (SRIP) aimed at the development of selected State Highways and MDRs. There are two packages under the SRIP-Rehabilitation under PPP annuity mode and the upgradation with funding from multilateral funding agencies. The rehabilitation package is intended to improve 83 km of roads in two packages A and B in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Kasaragod Districts at a total cost of ₹209.91 crore on Annuity modes. The works undertaken by RICK are Uppala-Kaniyana Road (9.4km), Vidyanagar –Seethangoli Road (15.6km), Kanjirappally- Kanjiramkavala Road (36.10km), Vellanad-Chettachal Road (21.90km) and land acquisition of Karamana-Vellarada Road (35.5km). There is also a company incorporated under the State PWD, namely Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK) which deals with the properties and assets comprising movables and immovable including land, road projects, railway overbridge projects, toll collection rights and engage in activities like DPR preparation.
Smart City Projects: Approximately 54kms of roads have been identified to be developed as smart roads in Thiruvananthapuram Smart City project. The overall scope of the smart road project is to provide overlay design for the existing road with detailed strip plans, junction designs, cycle track and footpath design. Under this project, road design, road signage and markings have been carried out.
Research and Development in Road Sector
Research and development activities play an anchoring role in developing innovative models and techniques to address the challenges in modernising the road system in general and technology upgradation with cost effective infrastructure measures in particular. Design, Research, Investigations and Quality Control Board (DRIQ Board), Kerala Highway Research Institute (KHRI) and National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) are the research organisations currently engaged in research and development of the road transport sector.
Kerala Highway Research Institute (KHRI), is acknowledged as Centre of Excellence to act as an advisory body or think tank for transforming the road sector in Kerala by prioritising the thrust areas and providing thought leadership, strategic advice and problem solving inputs. KHRI is focusing on innovation in design or construction practices, road asset management, road safety management, quality assurance and contract management, and promoting indigenous research and development.
National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) is the research centre conducting research and development and extension activities in the field of transportation and allied areas under Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE). Broadly, NATPAC focuses on transportation planning in all spheres of transportation, traffic management and road safety and providing consultancy services to Government at all levels and various user agencies in the domain area. They cover areas like road safety, traffic engineering, environmental issues, policies and programmes, urban transport, public transport issues, tourism and Inland water transport. Some of the major services provided by the Research Centre in recent years are identification and prioritisation of crash black spots in Kerala State, enhancing road safety with adaptive traffic signal system-demonstration and implementation, designing of model road safety corridors, periodic updation of price indices for different public transport and freight operations and investigation of major accident spots, causative analysis and mitigation.
Design, Research, Investigations and Quality Control Board (DRIQ Board) renders services in structural design, field investigation, project preparations and quality control works. The Design Wing of PWD undertakes structural design of bridges, buildings, DPR preparation of roads and bridges, quality control of PWD projects, research and advanced training of PWD officials. In 2020-21, design or DPR preparations of flyover (395m) across mini bypass at Panathuthazham (Kozhikode), bridge (537.5m) at Kottakkal Sand bank (Kozhikode) in Coastal Highway, DPR preparation of 5 projects under Output and Performance Based Road Contract (OPBRC), 10 projects in Kozhikode City Road Improvement Project (KCRIP) were undertaken.
Road safety Measures
The Motor Vehicles Department envisions enforcing Motor Vehicles Act and Rules effectively in order to reduce accidents and ensure road safety and to improve services and enhance motor vehicle tax collection. Major schemes implemented by Motor Vehicles Department are road safety measures, establishment of vehicle testing stations and modernisation of check posts. Under the radar surveillance system, with the help of Speed and Red Light Violation Detection Cameras, so far 28,33,817 offences were booked and ₹85.43 crore collected as per the Payment Service Module (PSM) of the Department. The budgetary support to Motor Vehicle Department is mainly used for administrative, governance and regulatory infrastructure, road safety initiatives as well as human resource development.
In 2021-22, the Department has opened 7 New Sub-RT offices in the State. The Department hired 65 electric vehicles on dry lease from ANERT for enforcement, implemented an online vehicle pollution testing system with the help of NIC, launched bilingual website, implemented e-challan system, implemented online learner’s driving license application and online driving licenses related services, piloted implementation of wireless communication and allied infrastructure network project at Ernakulam, enabled all oxygen vehicle tankers with Vehicle Location Tracking Device System for real time monitoring of vehicle position to ensure incessant supply of oxygen, conducted workshop as part of Caravan Tourism promotion at Ernakulam, conducted “VidyaVahan” for ascertaining road worthiness of Educational Institutional Buses (EIBs) after the lock down days, and conducted road safety awareness classes for drivers of EIBs. 151.562km road safety works including sign boards, road marking, erection of hand rails, surveillance cameras, reflectors, modular bumps and crash barriers were undertaken.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC)
In Kerala, the road transport industry is dominated by private service providers. The road freight services are wholly owned and operated by the private sector. KSRTC is the single largest public sector undertaking, carrying out passenger transport operations in the State. The Corporation is now on the way of transformation. KSRTC aims at the development of infrastructure and modernisation of workshops and total computerisation (implementation of e-office in Chief Office and three Zonal Officers).Plans for converting the diesel buses into CNG/LNG and purchase of new electric buses within the next five years have been proposed. In the first phase 1,000 buses will be converted to CNG and the remaining 2,000 buses will be converted to CNG in consecutive years. This in turn is expected to reduce the air pollution and to reduce fuel consumption by 30 per cent.
Innovative projects for increasing the non-operating revenue have also been planned. Government is also planning to operate non-diesel buses in Thiruvananthapuram city for reducing air pollution. As an initial step for transforming public transport, KSRTC buses are being modified to that effect, followed by private buses, which is expected to result in declaring Thiruvananthapuram as a Green City.
As part of fleet renovation, KSRTC has introduced multi axle buses like Scania on wet lease basis from its dealers and operating in inter -State routes. In 2021, the number of buses on wet lease basis is 17, including nine Scania and eight electric buses. Fleet utilisation of KSRTC is only 33.59 per cent. The number of buses owned by KSRTC is given in Appendix 11.1.18, age-wise details of vehicles owned by KSRTC is given in Appendix 11.1.19 and major internal indicators of KSRTC are given in Appendix 11.1.20.
Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) is formed to uplift the city public transport system in the state. In 2008, Government of India launched a scheme for funding urban buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) with a concept that Urban Transport is the key driver to our countries social and economic development and also to meet the mobility needs of the people. During the first phase of JnNURM Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam corporations were selected for implementation of Urban Transport system. 320 buses (80 A/C buses and 240 Non A/C buses) were allotted to these cities under this scheme. Among these 320, 50 A/C low floor buses and 120 Non A/C buses are plying in Ernakulam and 30 A/C buses and 120 Non A/C buses are in Thiruvananthapuram. The funding structure of the project was 80 per cent by Central Government, 10 per cent by State Government and 10 per cent by KSRTC. The operational efficiency of KURTC is given in Appendix 11.1.21.
The performance indicators of KSRTC show that more than 50 per cent of buses owned by the Corporation are ten or more year’s vintage (2,998 out of 5,483 buses). Average fleet operated is 1842 and average age of fleet is 9.07 years. There are 28,089 staff in KSRTC as per the details furnished for the year 2020-21. The Driver per bus and Conductor per bus ratio is 1.8. It is 0.25 and 0.4 for ministerial and mechanical staff respectively. The average occupancy/bus/month is only is 67 in 2020-21 marking a sharp decline from the previous years (603 in 2019-20 and 612 in 2018-19) The automobile industry and transport are the worst hit sectors by the Covid-19 pandemic. The nationwide lockdown consequent to the spread of the virus has put the State Transport at stake and low occupancy compared to previous years is attributed to this. The average earning per vehicle on road per day has decreased from ₹13,521 in 2019-20 to ₹9,265 in 2020-21. The fares charged by KSRTC ranges from 70 paise per km for ordinary and city buses to 145 paise for high-tech Volvo buses. The major indicators showing operational efficiency and District-wise operational statistics of KSRTC are given in Appendix 11.1.22 and 11.1.23. The fare structure of KSRTC is given in Appendix 11.1.24.
Covid-19 affected the finances of KSRTC. The gross revenue earning of KSRTC decreased from ₹2,245.60 crore in 2019-20 to ₹628.62 crore in 2020-21. The gross revenue expenditure in 2020-21 is ₹1,546.20 crore compared to ₹3,449.66 crore in 2019-20 and operating loss in 2020-21 period is ₹174.56 crore compared to ₹143.89 crore in 2019-20. During the pre-covid days, the average daily collection of KSRTC was around ₹6.30 crore and the average monthly revenue was around ₹190.00 crore. Then the situation was worsened due to the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lock down from March, 2020. The monthly revenue of KSRTC decreased to ₹3.00 crore in June, 2020. Monthly revenue of May and June, 2021 also steeply decreased to ₹8.47 crore and ₹21.19 crore respectively due to the State wide lock down from May 8, 2021 to June 16, 2021.
For revitalising the economy, KSRTC introduced new projects such as Bus on Demand (BOND), Logistics, Shop one wheels, Stay on KSRTC bus in Munnar and rationalisation of bus services. As a result, there was a slight increase in revenue and daily collection that increased around ₹3.86 crore per day in March, 2021. In order to tide over the crisis due to the second wave of Covid-19, KSRTC introduced various new projects for augmenting more non ticket revenue like KSRTC Lube Shop, retail fuel filling stations in association with Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation.
However since many years, the financial situation of KSRTC is grim due to an increase in operating expenditure, hike in pension commitments, increase in interest payments, operation in uneconomic routes and granting of concessional travels leading to an increase in the loss to the corporation Heavy losses due to operational inefficiency, high bus-staff ratio, operation in uneconomic routes and unviable depots are posing great challenges to KSRTC.
KSRTC is looking forward to a radical change in its operations. It intends to provide amenities to the travelling public and increase profitability of the Corporation during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Administrative Sanction has been issued for purchasing 100 Super Class buses and tender proceeded for conversion of buses into CNG. The development of Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) is under way and installations of 300 Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD) are progressing. The Corporation moved to G-SPARK software for service matters automation and provided training to 1,283 employees including conductors, ATOs, DTOs, commercial team, AOs, ATOs, and Public Information Officers (PIOs) and assistants.
Financial Performance
The outlay and expenditure in the transport sector in 2020-21 and 2021-22 (expenditure up to September, 2021) is given in Table 11.1.6.
Table 11.1.6 Outlay and expenditure in the transport sector in 2020-21 and 2021-22 (expenditure up to September, 2021), in ₹ lakh
Challenges
Most of the roads in the State do not have adequate width to address the existing level of traffic. Only one fourth of the roads have either two lanes or four lane capacity while most of the roads have single lane or intermediate lane capacity. In the case of National Highways, only about 12 per cent of the roads have four lane capacities while the remaining roads have only two lanes or intermediate lane capacity. Bulk of the inter-city and inter-state traffic is carried by the National and State Highways which are only 8 per cent of the total road network. Considering the demand supply gap, there is a huge need for up gradation of existing road network. The existing road network has to undergo a qualitative improvement with the aim to reduce traffic congestion and delay, easy access to destinations and reduction in accident risks. Most of the PWD roads have to undergo massive upgradation with widening and incorporating road safety features.
Way Forward
An action plan should be made for prioritising the road works in the State. Major emphasis should be given to widening the State Highways and MDRs along with professional design and adequate drainage facilities. The new road development initiatives like the National Highway four laning, highways, coastal highways and bypasses needs to be completed during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
The spread of the novel corona virus and the ensuing nationwide lockdown has brought the transport sector standstill and operators have suffered huge economic loss owing to non-operation. The situation of the private bus operators have been further aggravated by the hike in fuel prices leaving low margin for operations. In a bid to revive the reeling sector and to extend support to the private players an ambitious project has been conceived by the State Transport Department, namely "Grama Vandi" which will bring private bus operators within its ambit along with KSRTC. The scheme is conceived as cost sharing model between the local self-government and KSRTC to operate bus service to remote unconnected locations.
There is a need to undertake futuristic development of State Highways, important MDRs and city roads in the State, through geometrical improvement, junction improvements, covering pedestrian facilities, utility ducts, re-laying the roads incorporating technical corrections and entering into maintenance contracts. Road side parking is another issue to be addressed to improve the level of service. The road sector need to be reoriented to the current needs with emphasis on private sector participation and implementation of large scale projects through multilateral assistance from agencies like Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB).
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