Andhra Pradesh's Girl Students Pin Hopes on Free RTC Bus Rides
The girl students want the state government to introduce special buses for them in the morning and evening, so that commuting to their schools and colleges could become convenient and economical for them.
Kakinada: AP NDA coalition’s free bus rise scheme, one of the Super Six made in the run up to the assembly and Lok Sabha general elections in 2024, has led to a demand from girl students ahead of the scheme’s introduction from August 15.
The girl students want the state government to introduce special buses for them in the morning and evening, so that commuting to their schools and colleges could become convenient and economical for them.
“Otherwise, as girl students, we will not be able to derive full benefit of the free bus scheme,” one of the students told Deccan Chronicle. In particular, they say their parents will be able to breathe easy when it comes to the expenditure their parents incur on them.
Importantly, there are hundreds of private schools and colleges in the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts that run their own buses, especially colleges offering medicine, engineering, management and other courses. Managements charge students who use these buses heavily, with the charges frequently going up.
Specifically, girl students of erstwhile East Godavari district want the free RTC school buses on the Kakinada-Amalapuram-Razole, Kakinada-Pithapuram-Tuni and Anakapalli, Kakinada-Peddapuram-Rajamahendravaram, Rajamahendravaram-Amalapuram and Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada-Rajamahendravaram-via Gollalamamidada, Bikkavole and so on, Kakinada-Ramachandrapuram-Mandapeta, and Ravulapalem-Rajamahendravaram routes.
In erstwhile West Godavari district, the girl students want the RTC buses between Kovvuru-Rajamahendravaram, Kovvuru-Nidadavole-Tadepalligudem-Tanuku-Palakollu-Narsapuram, Eluru-Bhimavaram-Tadepalligudem-Jangareddygudem-Kukkunuru and Velerupadu, and Rampachodavaram-Rajamahendravaram-Chinturu routes.
There had been reports on social media that the alliance government will allow free rides only within the limits of a district. Recently, however, APSRTC managing director Dwaraka Tirumala Rao stated that free bus rides for women and girls will be available even beyond the district limits.
A private engineering college student told DC that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM K. Pawan Kalyan and the Human Resources minister N. Lokesh have always focused on women empowerment and girls’ education for a better future. She made it clear that the free-bus scheme will greatly benefit the girl students in pursuing their education.
When contacted, RTC Vijayawada zone chairman Reddy Appalanaidu told Deccan Chronicle that the state government is framing rules and regulations with regard to the free bus scheme for women. A meeting on the subject is to be held on Thursday, July 31. Appalanaidu assured he would raise the request of the girl students at the meeting.
