Free bus service Puducherry students in a week, says Education Minister A Namassivayam

The Education Minister of Puducherry, A Namassivayam, said on March 14 that free bus services for students in the Union Territory will commence in a week. The Minister, while speaking to the press at an event organised by the Puducherry Directorate of School Education, said that the tenders for bus services have been received and bus operations would commence within a week.

According to one report by The Hindu, published in July last year, Puducherry lacks a robust public transport system. Most locals resort to using their own private vehicles due to the scarcity, most of which are two-wheelers. Statistics from the Regional Transport Department reveal that as many as 11,27,940 vehicles are plying in the Union Territory. 

This includes 7,70,839 two-wheelers, 6,993 three-wheelers (autos and tempos), 3,694 buses and 3,794 omnibuses. The report also states that the number of private buses outweighs public transport.

Also during the programme, Chief Minister N Rangaswamy handed over the appointment orders of 158 pre-primary teachers or Bala Sevikas. He said that just as how the pre-primary teachers were posted, the Puducherry government would soon fill the vacancies of lower division clerks and upper-division clerks in the territory.

Education Minister Namassivayam added that the Chief Minister kept his word in handing over appointment orders to the pre-primary teachers. He said that classes for LKG and UKG have commenced functioning as of March 14 morning in all four regions — Puducherry, Karaikkal, Yanam and Mahe. Namassivayam also confirmed that the syllabus for Classes X, XI, and XII would be completed before the commencement of the Board exams.