According to a Government House authority, it was revealed that the Thai Cabinet has decided to pass on the responsibility of resolving the debt associated with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) contract with Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) to the incoming government. This debt arose from the appointment of BTSC to oversee the operations of the Green Line extension.
Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda informed the cabinet about the debt that the BMA needs to settle with BTS Group Holdings. The estimated value of this debt amounts to approximately 78 billion baht. Recognizing the unresolved nature of this debt, the Cabinet agreed to transfer it to the succeeding government for resolution, acknowledging that it was beyond the interim government’s capacity to rectify the situation.
In response to this development, the BMA eagerly awaits government intervention to address the debt issue. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt conveyed that the BMA had sent a letter to the Interior Ministry, urgently requesting the government’s assistance in resolving the challenges surrounding the Green Line extension.
Governor Sittipunt further explained that the BMA had implored the government to bear the costs incurred in establishing the infrastructure for the Green Line, including expenses related to electrical and mechanical (E&M) installations. These costs are estimated to be around 20 billion baht. He emphasized that the BMA lacks the capability to independently manage these expenses.
Sittipunt mentioned that the BMA is mentally and financially prepared to handle the E&M installation debt but emphasized that the decision needs approval from the BMA council. Currently, both the BMA and its commercial branch, Krungthep Thanakhom (KT), owe 30 billion baht to the BTSC. This debt is associated with ongoing operational and maintenance responsibilities for the first and second extensions of the Green Line, which include the On Nut-Bearing and Saphan Taksin-Bang Wa sections, as well as the Bearing-Samut Prakan and Mo Chit-Saphan Mai-Khu Khot sections, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
