BTSC may get another 40-year concession to operate BTS Green Line
The Interior Ministry will at the Tuesday Cabinet meeting propose that Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC)’s concession for BTS Green Line be extended by another 40 years.
In September last year, BTSC filed a lawsuit against Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) suing the city for 12 billion baht it is owed for operating the Green Line extension and another 20 billion baht it is owed for the train operating system.
The suit was filed after BMA reportedly failed to pay the debt within the April deadline.
“The Interior Ministry said the BMA-BTSC dispute has been resolved to an extent and therefore we believe it is a suitable time to propose an extension of the contract,” Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Monday.
“However, the ministry is prepared to suspend the agenda and study the proposal further in case the Cabinet requires it.”
Reporters on Monday asked if the Cabinet would delay its decision on the concession now that Democrat gubernatorial candidate Suchatvee Suwansawas has started negotiating with BTSC. Wissanu responded saying he did not believe Suchatvee’s involvement would affect the Cabinet’s decision.
“If the Cabinet approves the contract extension, opposition parties will still bring this issue up in Parliament to address questions they might have,” he said.
“Also, BTSC can file a lawsuit even after the Cabinet makes its decision if it feels the issue has not been properly resolved. We will try to fix the problem by ensuring that the concession for the BTS Green Line proceeds as planned.”