VASCO: A Cortalim-based Vidya Vihar High School (VVHS) has appealed to the local MLA Anton Vas to seek government support to provide the school with additional buses for ferrying students to the school and back.
The VVHS headmistress Premalata Rathod and manager Antonieta Coutinho had earlier written a letter to the MLA stating that the school with strength of 767 students had already been allotted one school bus in December 2011 under the Indira Bal Rath Yojana scheme by the Directorate of Tribal Welfare.
“With the growing strength of the school, the carrying capacity of only bus operated by the school is drastically insufficient and caters to only a fraction of the students travelling to and from school. The present school bus begins its morning trip as early as 6.30 in the morning and the bus route originates from the school, passes through Curpawada, Quelossim, Rassaim, Kerserval, Verna Industrial Estate Junction, Pazentar, Maddant, Ferry Point, Arvalle, Church ward, Sarfona ,Sindolim and back to school overcrowded with students”, the letter stated.
The VVHS also requested the Cortalim MLA to give a special consideration and grant a school bus either through Kadarnba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) or through any other schemes within his capacity.
“The school having only one bus has no option but to ply our bus in circles within the Cortalim village to collect students in the morning and drop them in the afternoon. Some students reach home after class as late as 3 pm on a hungry stomach. The school management is being severely pressurised by the PTA to request for a second school bus to ease the inconvenience borne by the students and overcrowding of the bus. A second school bus, if provided would help in considerable reduction of time required to pickup and drop the students as well as overcrowding of students. The route presently taken could be divided in two with one bus covering areas on the east of our school, like Curpawada, Quelossim, Rassaim, while the second bus could cover the western areas like Kesarval, Verna Industrial Estate Junction, Church ward, Sarfona (Sancoale), Sindolem, Ferry point,” said the letter.
When contacted, Cortalim MLA Anton Vas said that he has assured all help to the school and even organise a KTC bus for the school to transport students to the school and back.
“After I received a letter from VHSS, I took steps to ensure that an additional bus is provided to the school. I have already written to the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited Chairman and MLA Ulhas Tuenkar in this regard. I have also informed KTCL that we need some buses for schools in Cortalim constituency especially since the Bal Rath scheme is stopped now,” he said.
Vas also informed that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured him that he will provide Kadamba buses to schools within a month which will be used for government and other schools including VHSS, which will move from point-to-point with all school students.
