School students at the Valpoi police station to complain about the erratic bus services in the area.
Photo by Afaq Khan
KTC bus service fails students from Sattari
Angry students ask Valpoi police to act
AFAQ KHAN
VALPOI:
It was an unexpected sight the other day when a large group of school kids stormed the Valpoi police station to lodge their “complaint”. Their grievance: the erratic KTC bus services in the remote areas of Sattari taluka.
What makes their complaint even more unusual is the fact that this is the second time in two years that the children have been forced to visit the police station regarding the same grievance.
While parents, teachers and students have bitterly complained about the erratic bus services, the Valpoi police expressed their helplessness to act in such cases. But they dropped the students, around 15 of them, to their respective homes.
The unusual incident took place recently when a KTC bus which plies to Hivre via Valpoi failed to reach Valpoi at 1.30 pm. Left stranded, the angry students from various schools, marched to the Valpoi police station to highlight their grievances before the policemen.
Valpoi PI Sanjay Dalvi recalled a similar situation last year when the school kids had marched to the Valpoi police station to complain about the irregular bus services. “We cannot take legal action against KTC. Only the transport department can initiate action. But in case of private buses, the police can intimate the RTO to act,” the PI said.
A student, Suyesh Varak, informed that the main problem was in the afternoon session. “In the morning, there are buses along the Hivre via Pali (Thane) route. But the hitch is after 1 pm. If we miss the 1.30 pm bus, we have to wait for many hours. We are forced to travel in private vehicles to reach home, instead of depending on KTC buses, which are very irregular,” Varak said.
Tulsidas Kanekar, a teacher, pledged his full support to the affected students of his school and other schools.
“Such irregularities are sheer negligence by the KTC. If students miss one bus, they have to wait for hours to get another bus since there are very few buses that ply along the remote villages of Sattari,” Kanekar said.
“Authorities should ensure that buses plying in remote areas are regular to avoid hardship to small children, especially during the rainy season,” he added.
An aggrieved parent insisted that buses should be made to operate on time.
“Not only students, but also passengers depend on these bus services. Parents get worried when their wards do not reach home on time. This is the case in Hivre, Charvane and other remote areas of Sattari taluka,” the parent said.
QUOTE
“In the morning, there are buses along the Hivre via Pali (Thane) route. But the hitch is after 1 pm. If we miss the 1.30 pm bus, we have to wait for many hours.”
Suyesh Varak, student
