‘Pick and drop’ scheme for students in rural areas still a dream

One of the GMs of the Punjab Roadways said the Education department will place a demand for the routes.

The Punjab Transport department’s ‘Safe School Vaahan (vehicle) scheme’ for government schools in villages had looked to provide safe pick and drop facility for students. But since the department does not have enough state-owned buses, and with the existing plying on long routes and inter-district routes, fulfilling the promise is proving to be difficult.

According to the scheme, the Transport department is required to provide safe transportation to students of government schools in rural areas, for which state government buses are to be used. A sub-committee formed for every district, headed by General Managers of the Punjab Roadways, would then plan the routes and timetables for the buses.

One of the GMs of the Punjab Roadways said the Education department will place a demand for the routes. However, he added, no such demand has been put forth yet. Another GM, meanwhile, said it was very difficult to plan the route according to government schools in rural areas as the department does not have enough buses. New buses, which will ply only to pick and drop students from villages, are required.

A senior officer in the Transport department said that in most districts the number of state-owned buses had gone down four to five times over the last decade. For instance, in Nawanshahr the number has reduced from 2,400 to around 300 buses, said a senior transport officer in Chandigarh.

When contacted, Punjab Transport minister Ajit Singh Kohar said the scheme had been put in place to ensure safe pick and drop for students in rural areas.

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