PANAJI: The government has announced a new scheme to provide hired private buses to government high schools, after it was found that the lone bus given to each of these schools, in the past, failed to provide better transportation facility to respective students.
A related notification issued by the director of education, G P Bhat states that in order to provide transportation to children studying in government high schools, the government implemented a scheme to be operated by Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd (KTCL).
“However, only one bus is being provided in respect of number of children in the school,” it adds, pointing out that now, in order to provide better transportation facility to the students of government schools in remote areas of Pernem, Sattari and Sanguem talukas, the government is pleased to formulate a scheme to provide them hired buses.
The objective of the scheme is to provide transportation to the students studying in government high schools, which are situated in remote talukas such as Pernem, Sattari and Sanguem, where the students come from very remote and faraway places, as also to strengthen the educational infrastructure of the state thereby catering to the need of these schools.
These schools under the particular scheme would be entitled for additional hired bus in addition to the bus operated through KTCL.
As per the scheme, the directorate of education will hire private buses by registering them with the directorate by issuing advertisement in three local dailies.
The hire charges for each bus will be Rs 2,400 per day to cover maximum 80 kms per day. The expenses towards mileage beyond 80 kms per day will be borne by the government.
The hired buses will be required to ply on the route as determined by the school Parents-Teacher Association. The hired bus is required to collect the children from the designated route and drop them to the designated school and vice-versa before the school hours, further dropping the school children till the last point of the designated route.
The bus owner will be responsible for safety of the children from the time of boarding during journey and alighting from the bus. The owner will also be responsible for makeshift/ provide alternate vehicle in case of accident, breakdown or detained for major maintenance.
The directorate of education will be required to hire these buses to transport the children on schooling days, which is approximately more than 200 days.