No roads, Vadodara students take boats to reach school

Sachin Sharma | TNN | Updated: Jul 5, 2019, 8:42 IST

The Simlet island is cut off from the mainland as it was part of the area that went into the submergence of the Panam reservoir

The Simlet island is cut off from the mainland as it was part of the area that went into the submergence of th...Read More

VADODARA: For most, arranging transportation for school children might mean arranging for a van, rickshaw or a bus. But in this village the officials had to arrange for boats to carry the students to a government primary school. The village, is actually an island located in the Panam reservoir in the Shehra taluka of Panchmahal district.
The Simlet island is cut off from the mainland as it was part of the area that went into the submergence of the Panam reservoir. Residents of the small piece of land refused to vacate it and have stayed put here despite facing hardships.
The village has around 70 houses and a population of 250 to 300 persons. There are 26 primary students in the village, but no school. So they have to travel to the nearby Juna Mahelan village primary school. Till recently, the children travelled in private boats also used for fishing.
“The children include 13 boys and 13 girls. Much like arranging for road transport for other primary school students travelling to a school from a distance, we arranged for their transportation using boats. I noticed the problem in 2017 and decided to take care of it,” said block resource coordinator for the village Dr Kalpesh Parmar.

Parmar said that the transportation was a part of a government scheme, but Simlet was an exception where boats were being arranged. “This year too when the academic year began, we arranged for two boats for the children,” said Parmar. Parmar added that Rs 400 are provided per child every month for their transportation. “We took the consent of their parents and roped in the two boats for taking them to school,” Parmar said. The boats were flagged off formally at a small event last month.
According to Parmar, students who study in class VI or higher can be admitted in residential schools. There was no such arrangement for lower standards and hence transportation was provided. Parmar added that two classrooms were being constructed on Simlet and once they came up the children may be able to study there.