The Maharashtra government on Wednesday sent at least 70 state transport buses to bring back students stranded at Kota in Rajasthan due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The buses left from Maharashtra's Dhule district around 10.30 am and will reach Rajasthan by Wednesday night, an official said.
Kota in Rajasthan is a hub of coaching institutions, mostly for engineering and medical aspirants, where students from across the country arrive to prepare for entrance examinations.
They have been stuck in the city since the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19 was imposed last month, suspending all inter-state transport. Many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Assam have sent transport to bring back their students.
There are around 1,800 students from Maharashtra who are stuck in Kota and the state government was under pressure from the parents. The decision to bring them back was taken following indications that the lockdown may be extended in parts of Rajasthan and Maharashtra as both are heavily affected by the pandemic.
Earlier, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, state Transport Minister Anil Parab had a discussion with Centre and Rajasthan government over the issue. Following the consent from the Centre and the promise of cooperation from the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, 70 buses were sent to Kota.
Minister of State of Revenue and guardian minister of Dhule, Abdul Sattar is coordinating the efforts.
The distance between Kota and Dhule is 630 kilometres. They will reach Kota via Mandsaur, Ratlam by Wednesday evening.
The students will then be sent back to their homes in different parts of Maharashtra from Dhule.
Each bus has two drivers and they have been provided with necessary protection including mask and sanitisers. The buses were also sanitised before being sent to Kota.
A van is also going with the fleet to help in case of a breakdown and ensure a smooth journey.
"The buses will leave from Kota on Thursday morning," a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) official said. Only 20 students will be allowed in each bus and the vehicles will halt at two to three places for food breaks.
"On the return journey from Kota, the buses will ferry students to their respective districts," he said.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab in a tweet late Tuesday night said, "1780 students from Maharashtra are stuck in Kota, Rajasthan due to lockdown for precaution against Covid-19. As directed by Hon'ble CM Shri. @OfficeOfUt, 92 buses of MSRTC fleet will Leave on 29th April 2020from Dhule to rescue the students & Bring them back home."
While it was earlier decided that 92 buses would be sent, the number came down after Raigad and Beed districts sent private buses to bring back students from Kota.
On return, the students and their parents will undergo medical checkup followed by the mandatory 14-day home quarantine.
