By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 22: The Opposition on Wednesday expressed doubts over the idea of the state government to run 30 school buses through the Sustainable Transport and Efficient Mobility Society (STEMS) reminding the ruling dispensation about the failed experiment of handing over JNNURM buses to societies and SHGs rendering most of them useless and in a dilapidated condition.
Congress MLA Saleng Sangma said that the government, instead of giving the buses to societies, should hand them over to the schools. He recalled that JNNURM buses which were given to society are now lying unused.
Responding to the Congress MLA, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the option of giving the buses to schools is not yet closed but the government has to start somewhere as many schools are reluctant to operate the buses.
The CM said that the state government does not intend to make school buses compulsory as many schools are reluctant to operate the buses since their mandate is to teach and not to operate buses.
“We were in a complex situation yet we are sensitive towards the concerns of parents so we decided to start a pilot project,” he said, adding that 15 schools have agreed to avail the STEMS bus service.
He disclosed that an amount of Rs 11.30 crore has been earmarked for the project out of which Rs 17 lakh has been spent.
“The project is fully funded by the state government and we are introducing 30-seater buses,” the CM added.
He made it clear that the government will extend the fleet of buses if it runs well since there are approximately 27,000 students commuting to Laitumkhrah and Dhankheti on a daily basis and 60% of the students use private mode of transportation.
TMC legislator Charles Pyngrope suggested that the government should conduct a case study of BK Bajoria School which has been running the bus services quite well. The CM assured to examine the matter and added that under STEMS, the management and maintenance of these buses will not be the headache of the schools and even the government will not be directly involved in this project.
The CM went on to say that the buses can drop and pick-up the school children in the morning and afternoon and the same buses can also be used to pick-up and drop government employees. Besides, these buses can be used for tourism purposes on weekends and holidays.
Stating that the buses will have adequate safety measures like CCTV and GPS, the CM added that people running the buses will be trained on the aspect of children’s safety.