KOZHIKODE: With complaints flowing in day by day from students about harassment by private bus employees, the district administration is all set to take strict action against erring buses in the district. Though the district administration had announced the 'Operation Savarigirigiri' project one year ago to ensure travel with dignity for students with the cooperation of Bus Owners' Association and supportive groups, the project is yet to take off due to the indifferent attitude of private bus owners.
Students going to schools and colleges standing in long queues, mostly ignored and harassed by the private buses, is a common scene in the state. As per rules, the students are eligible for concession fare rates but the bus employees consider them as mere numbers who cause them losses. It was against this backdrop the project was envisaged with the support of experts from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIMK). The bus owners' association would bear the loss from giving concessions to students, dividing the loss among them. There was also a provision to reimburse the loss as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to bus owners.
However district collector N Prasanth told DC that the Savarigirigiri project was aimed at helping students and assisting the bus owners. "It is their headache not ours. We have given the concept, ensured CSR and suggested technology. Our only aim is to ensure the right of students to travel with dignity. We have been receiving complaints galore about the harassment meted out to students by private bus employees. It is time for us to act", he said.
