Port Blair, June 18: The Lt Governor, Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh, PVSM, AVSM has extended free bus pass facility in the State Transport Department buses to the students studying in Government schools functioning under the Education Department of the A&N Administration.
The eligibility for availing the facilities is that students should have to travel more than 3 kms to school if a suitable school (in terms of level/language/discipline) is not available within 3 km from the village/place of residence of the students. If the students selects a school of his/her own choice bypassing the suitable school (in terms of level/language/discipline) available within 3 kms of his village/place of residence, the free bus pass facility will not be provided. All Tribal students of A&N Islands shall be eligible for free bus pass facility irrespective of the above condition.
The free bus pass facility would be available to the eligible students of government school irrespective of the family income of the student. About 5000 students across the Islands will be eligible for the benefit under the new facilities and an amount to the tune of Rs 1.25 crore would be incurred to provide the facility which will be met by the Education Department.
The President, ANTCC, Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma had been highlighting before the Lt Governor the difficulties being faced by the students living in remote and far flung areas particularly in Campbell Bay and Diglipur where the students had to travel long distances in difficult conditions. This initiative by the Administration will mitigate this problem to a large extent.
