The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : It’s a tough ride to college

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

It’s a tough ride to college

S. Sandeep Kumar

Buses run by college managements inadequate

-Photo: Nagara Gopal

Risky ride: Students taking a ride atop a bus.

HYDERABAD: For a seven-hour study in a college, the students spend four hours on commuting. And when they reach home, they are hardly in a position to study again. That’s the sad state of affairs about tens of thousands of engineering students. The worst part of it is that there are not enough buses run by the college managements. There are over 100 engineering colleges in and around the city, of which, majority of them are flooded in areas like Ibrahimpatnam, Medhcal, Ghatkesar, Gandipet and Moinabad. While most college managements do not operate buses for students, those that run buses charge hefty transportation fee ranging from Rs. 1, 000 to Rs. 1, 600 a month.

Left with no option, students prefer APSRTC buses using the student bus pass that costs Rs. 85 a month. With not many bus services, those plying to the city outskirts are packed and at times, students are forced to travel on top, risking their lives.

RTC is operating over 65 college exclusive buses to pick students of one particular college from different locations in the city. The pass in these exclusive buses ranges from Rs. 325 to Rs. 550 a month.With every academic year, demand for these exclusive college buses is increasing. This year, over 40 college management have applied for provision of such buses. However, APSRTC is reluctant to run them. “We incur losses as the buses return almost empty after dropping students. Also, there is huge demand in the core city areas than in the outskirts,” says APSRTC Deputy Chief Traffic Manager (Hyderabad Zone) S. Suresh Kumar. Last year RTC authorities had requested the college managements to operate colleges in two shifts during peak hours. But none of the colleges extended their cooperation, he adds. On the other hand, private college managements have a different opinion over high transportation fee being collected from students. An established college runs 10 buses and incurs nearly Rs. 2 lakh as recurring expenditure per bus every year towards maintenance, besides annual regular expenditure, explains Consortium of Engineering Colleges Managements Association’s general secretary P. Rajeshwar Reddy.

Interestingly, the A.P. State Council of Higher Education has sanctioned permission for nearly 15 more engineering colleges on the outskirts without considering the transportation of students as an important aspect.

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