No transport for schoolkids: Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Ahmedabad Municipal School Board get notice

Gujarat high court issued notices to project director of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Ahmedabad Municipal School Board (AMSB) for being unable to provide transport facility to students of primary schools in the city on Thursday. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed in the matter.

The PIL filed by the project coordinator of Sahyog Charitable Trust, a city-based NGO, stated that despite the guidelines laid under Right to Education as well as SSA, no transportation facility was being provided to 16,688 students registered with 146 schools with AMSB.

The petitioner has stated that students registered under SSA belong to economically backward class and their parents cannot afford the cost of transportation.

According to the PIL, the government provides Rs3,000 per student per year for the same. The facility was announced in academic year 2012-13 but had not been implemented. The petitioner stated that tenders have been issued for 2013-14 but the facility has not started.

After hearing the petition, a bench comprising chief justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and justice JB Pardiwala issued notices to director of SSA in Gujarat and AMSB returnable in two weeks.

The petitioner has sought for immediate start of transportation facility for students, issuing of a fresh tender if the 2013-14 tender does not get response and direction to AMSB to provide a report of how the funds allotted by Centre under the scheme were used in last two academic years.