Electric buses will operate on 23 routes in the capital from Saturday, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor VVRajesh said. He was speaking to the media here on Wednesday after a discussion with Transport Minister KBGanesh Kumar. The meeting was convened after disagreements in the operation of electric buses, which were procured as part of the SmartCity project in the last election period. Mr. Rajesh said that some services are in existing routes while few routes have been added on the suggestions of various councillors. Services will begin Saturday morning. Detailed timetables will be published soon. Some of the routes proposed by the councilors proved impractical for services. All these routes had services earlier but were stopped for various reasons, he said. The mayor and the transport minister previously disagreed over the use of electric buses for connections in suburban areas. When asked about the protests in Karakulam panchayat over the running of the dog shelter, he said the protests were politically motivated. “The dog shelter has been functioning in the middle of a 1-acre plot for eight years. While earlier it had 137 dogs, now the corporation has shifted 50 more dogs there. The animal welfare committee and the veterinary doctor are constantly monitoring. We will solve the problem of stray dogs in the capital only if we have more shelters. The society is looking for ideal places for it,” said Mr. Rajesh.
Published – 04 Feb 2026 20:47 IST