Kannur (Kerala) [India], January 2 : Passengers of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Kannur unit's Budget Tourism Cell celebrated the New Year onboard a KSRTC bus along with staff and fellow travellers on Thursday.
The celebrations included cutting a cake and distributing sweets, creating a festive atmosphere during the journey.
The event was led by District Transport Officer V Manoj Kumar, Depot Engineer Aneesh, Budget Tourism District Coordinator Tanseer K R, Unit coordinator Rajeesh K Jayaprakash Master, Janish, and Sadanandan Master.
KSRTC Kannur Depot Engineer Aneesh said this was the first time such an event had taken place.
A passenger, Jayaprakash Master, said that he was glad to be a part of the programme.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday extended New Year greetings to the people and said that the newly elected local self-government institutions have a critical role in shaping the State's development.
Addressing a press conference, CM Vijayan said the phase of intense political campaigning during the recently concluded local body elections was now over, and that newly elected administrative councils had assumed office across all levels."With the elected councils taking charge, new responsibilities lie ahead of them," Vijayan said, calling for collective efforts focused on development and public welfare.
Tracing the historical roots of Kerala's decentralised governance model, Vijayan said the idea of bringing governance closer to the grassroots dates back to 1957.
"The three-tier Panchayat system and the urban governance structure we see today have a distinct historical background unique to Kerala. The idea of decentralising governance, moving it away from the Secretariat and closer to the grassroots was first recommended by the Administrative Reforms Committee led by E.M.S. in 1957. The committee proposed Panchayats as the basic units of governance at the village level and greater autonomy for elected local bodies," he said.