Bring kids to Secretariat if assurance fails, MTC Chairman tells parents
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 2: MTC Chairman Shakliar Warjri on Thursday assured parents of students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Eastern Air Command (EAC), that school bus services will resume from April 6.
In an unusual assurance, the Chairman told parents that if the buses fail to pick up students on Monday, they should bring their children directly to the Secretariat instead of sending them to school.
The commitment was made during a meeting between Warjri and parent representatives on Thursday evening.
This followed an emergency MTC Board meeting, which was advanced from its original Monday schedule due to the urgency of the situation.
The development comes a day after parents staged a protest at the Secretariat over the prolonged suspension of transport services.
Parent representative Soni Kharjana told reporters that while they had initially sought a written assurance, they accepted the Chairman’s verbal commitment.
“From the chairman’s statements, we understand that the government is addressing the difficulties faced by parents. We respect the assurance given,” she said.
The MTC plans to deploy new buses for the service. While the final fare structure is pending, parents were informed that rates would be kept reasonable and lower than those of private operators or STEM buses to accommodate economically weaker families.
Operational challenges remain, as MTC depots are located 14-15 km away from the initial pick-up points.
To ensure efficiency, the MTC has submitted formal requests to various departments to secure designated parking and stoppage points for the school buses.
