Due to the ongoing Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) strike over the last six months, an ambulance is seen ferrying over 20-25 students from Dahanu’s tribal hamlets to their schools in order to make sure that the students appear for their board exam on time. The ambulance service was initiated by a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation for these tribal students. This issue came into light after the NGO posted a photo on social media. Niranjan Aher, President of Alert Citizen Forum said after the social media post these students have got vehicles through which they are going to school until exams.
“We have to walk the 10 km stretch to reach the school as transportation facilities of ST buses have been reduced and spending Rs 40 for one way on private vehicles is not affordable for the kids. When the NGO saw these struggles of the children, they arranged a better and free-of-cost means of transportation through the ambulance,” said a student.
Aher said Earlier these students used to travel by state transport (ST) buses, but due to the students they were facing problems in reaching school for giving exams. These children or students have been facing problems for the last one and half years due to which they had to think of alternate transport facilities. Following which they decided to ferry the students studying in ninth and tenth standards.
“Our NGO has been working in these villages for a few months and we have provided ambulance services for the students which will be an easier way to reach exam centres during the MSRTC strike. On a daily basis we are ferrying around 20-25 students. So far, we are lucky that during the commutation time of the students there has been no medical emergency in the village. But in case any medical emergency arrives, we have kept an alternative vehicle, a tempo as a backup option ready,” he said.
Meanwhile, all girls in rural areas will be provided transport facilities from village to school, under the Human Development Program. Between 2011 to 2013, around 625 buses have been provided to 125 talukas in order to implement this scheme of providing transport services to the students on a regular basis.
Later on, 247 additional buses were procured in phases and at present 872 buses are operated by the corporation under this scheme. In the first phase, out of 625 buses, which were received by the corporation in phases from 2011 to 2013 and constructed in aluminum metal, 300 vehicles with 'body' defective condition will be reconstructed and rehabilitated in the first phase.
The rehabilitation of buses will be done at the cost of Rs. 39 crore by the state government and it will help in making the ST journey easier and safer for the citizens especially the students in the rural areas.
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