The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will add 100 ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi’ midi buses (28-seater) to its fleet to extend public transport services to remote, hilly and tribal areas where conventional large buses often find it difficult to operate.
The move aims to connect residents of remote hamlets, tribal settlements and villages, as well as school and college students, with education, healthcare, employment opportunities and essential services. “Public transport cannot be measured only through the profit-and-loss balance sheet; it is also a responsibility towards society. A bus coming closer to our settlement would save a lot of time and make it easier for us to attend school regularly.”
If a student can avoid the daily walk to school, or a tribal family gets easier access to a market, hospital or town, the value of that service cannot be determined only through financial calculations,” Sarnaik said. A school student, Prathamesh Jhanje from a remote hilly settlement in Bhor Taluka, Pune district, said, “We often have to start walking early in the morning to reach the main road or the nearest bus stop.
