SHILLONG
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Sunday informed that the process of introducing school buses was under way, but various measures have to be taken before rolling these out.
On August 16, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had decided to introduce school buses to ease the traffic in Shillong.
Several parents have agreed that they will also be part of this system by being ready to send their children to school by buses, he added.
In its affidavit filed before the Meghalaya High Court on August 17, the state had informed that upon approaching the various schools, 82 per cent of parental support has been obtained for students to be ferried in school buses to be provided by the state.
The petitioner in a PIL had suggested that greater efforts should be made by the authorities to dissuade private cars ferrying one student each to come to the schools on a regular basis.
A society has been formed for the purpose of ensuring that school students avail of the additional public transport system proposed to be introduced for them so that the number of private vehicles crowding around the schools may go down.
The state proposed to acquire 50 to 60 buses for such purpose.
When asked, the education minister, however, said a study is being conducted on the parking spaces for the school buses and the routes that they will ply on.
“We have to see where these buses will be parked because many of the schools don’t have big compounds. After dropping the students where they will park in the vicinity of the school or inside the school campus and which route they should ply on because as I said on internal roads, it is impossible – this study is going on,” he said.
Earlier, the state had informed the Court that some 53 old and disused buses have been disposed of and a substantial amount generated for investment in better traffic management.
The exercise is continuing to identify other buses which are in an advanced state of disrepair to dispose of the same, if they are not viable to be repaired.
The state had further informed that a proposal has been submitted to the World Bank for financing the acquisition of electric buses that will ensure the better flow of traffic and less pollution.