Students wait for buses to reach schools and colleges last for hours and sometimes, they miss their classes, thanks to the poor bus service in rural parts of Belagavi district. The lack of staff and good-condition buses has resulted in hampering the bus service in Belagavi and Chikkodi divisions. About 1.50 lakh students studying in different classes in schools and colleges in the district are bus pass holders who used to travel by bus to reach schools, colleges, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
The poor bus service not only created a big headache for the education department but has also made parents worry as most of the students' time is spent waiting for the bus, the report stated. As the number of buses are fewer in number, the students are forced to travel in crowded buses, putting themselves at risk.
Fewer buses post-COVID
This situation is being faced not just by the students, but by everyone who is travelling in government buses during the opening and closing timings of schools and colleges. According to sources from the North-West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), the buses were plying on the 642 routes in Chikkodi division before the COVID situation. However, they were reduced to 601 routes post-COVID.
The situation is quite similar in Belagavi division. Buses were plying on 695 routes before COVID and were reduced to 653 routes after the COVID situation. These changes have resulted in students staging protests at different places in the district for regular bus services.
According to the officials, there are different reasons for the problem. The first reason is the lack of sufficient staff that is available in both divisions of NWKRTC. The buses which are plying in Belagavi are very old and need to be repaired and serviced frequently at the workshop, the TNIE report said. The problem was at its peak during the winter legislative session in Belagavi, about 60 buses of NWKRTC were used to transport police and other staff deputed on session duty.
When the situation turned very grim, the Superintendent of Police, Dr Sanjeev Patil held a meeting with the NWKRTC officials to take stock of the situation recently. Speaking to TNIE, Dr Sanjeev Patil said that the Deputy Commissioner will be holding a meeting with the managers of all depots and higher officials of NWKRTC soon to find a solution to this problem. PY Naik, Divisional Controller of NWKRTC was not available for a comment.
