Mumbai: Of 2.7 lakh students, only 36 have bus pass

When free bus passes were added to the list of free things for students studying in the BMC schools two years ago, many, especially the ones hailing from financially poor background, heaved a sigh of relief. However, years later things are back to square one.

Out of 2,71,218, only 36 Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus passes has been issued to the civic school students this year.

This has inconvenienced many, especially the ones who travel long distances to school. "My son travels from Mazgoan to attend his school in Chinchpokli. We cannot afford train ticket or bus ticket every day. The pass would have eased our woes," said Arti Suravar, a worker in a warehouse.

Ram Bhav Patil, another parent whose son goes to a Marathi medium BMC school in Charkop area said, "This is not the first time we are facing this issue. Last year we organised a two-day protest outside the BMC education department for the delay in providing ID cards, bags, uniforms. This year, bus passes have been added to the list."

The decision to provide free bus passes were taken considering the fact that most students studying in the BMC-run schools belong to the poor section of the society, and cannot afford tickets or monthly passes. This, according to the education department, was one of the reasons behind high drop out rates in civic schools.

Assuring to resolve the matter soon, Anjali Naik, chairperson of education committee, BMC said, "I have met BEST officials and asked them to resolve this matter at the earliest. The delay is due to a system error." Meanwhile, Mahesh Palkar, education officer of education department said that it would not affect students. "BMC students in school uniforms are never charged by BEST conductors," he said, adding all the details of students and their bus pass forms have been already provided to the BEST.

"The Right to Education (RTE) Act has charted down the walking distance between the house to school as 1 km for primary level and 3 km for secondary level. If this was being followed by the BMC, the need for bus service or free bus passes would not have arisen. Safety of the child and safe access to school should go hand in hand. Given the conditions of roads, the congestion — both inside and outside buses — a bus is not a logical solution," said Simantini Dhuru, director of the Avehi Abacus Project that serves municipal schools and non-formal education centres in the city.