ST bus scrap to serve as classrooms in tribal areas

Mumbai, Aug 16: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will donate the scrap of its buses to be used as classrooms at schools in tribal areas.

Not anounce of scrap of ST buses will be wasted. The MSRTC will fulfil its social responsibility towards the society and transform the ST Bus Corporation into a responsible social centre, Transport Minister Diwakar Raote said here.

The corporation till now used to sell its scrap that added to the coffers of the Corporation. Now, Raote has decided to donate or sell the scrap at cheap rates to tribals as a part of social responsibility.

"When a bus has no use left and is converted into scrap, we will give it in remote areas to be used as classroom for tribal students," Raote said. "The tyres will be removed from the bus, some facilities will be provided inside the bus to make it suitable to conduct a classroom and it will be given a look which does not make it look like scrap," he said.

The minister said at least two such buses will be provided for each school in tribal areas. The tyres of such buses can also be used to build walls of dams (nullah bandh), in place of cement walls, he said.

"The tyres will be used in place of the cement wall of a dam by putting one tyre over the other and the gap will be filled by mud. Later, the whole wall be covered by plastic so that water does not leak from the wall," the minister said.

He said Minister of State for Finance Deepak Kesarkar was inspired by one such dam wall built by Dr Vikas Amte in Varora of Chandrapur district. "Kesarkar has himself got constructed such type of a bandh on a nullah.

This scheme will be promoted across the Konkan region by providing number of tyres from MSRTC. This kind of bandh will be cheaper than cement walls," Raote said.

"The corporation is already delivering its social responsibility by allowing concessions in fare to freedom fighters, senior citizens, physically disabled, journalists and legislators," he said elaborating on the initiatives taken by his department.

The transport department is changing its face and becoming more commuter-friendly Raote said, adding that ST buses are the only reliable mode of transport that reach even the remote areas of the state and offer services 24X7.

PTI