K’taka Min stops KSRTC bus, pulls up driver for refusing to pick up students

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar was on his way to Madhugiri in Tumakuru on Saturday when he noticed that a KSRTC bus drove past some school-going children at a bus stop, without stopping, although they flagged down the vehicle. Appalled, the Minister’s car overtook the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus, blocked it and questioned the driver and the conductor for not stopping for the school-going children.  

A resident in Tumakuru told TNM that some buses refuse to pick up students since they carry a student bus pass and do not pay for every ride on the bus. Pulling up the driver and conductor for their high-handedness and refusal to pick up school students, Suresh Kumar not only sought explanation but also directed them to compulsorily stop and pick up school-going children on their route.

Reacting over the incident, KSRTC tweeted, "The matter has been forwarded to the respective division to examine and take necessary action." 

This incident comes after schools in Karnataka have recently reopened for the first time since March. The schools were shut down for students since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Regular classes for Class 10 and 12 resumed from January 1. Since then, at least 236 teachers and non-teaching staff across schools in Karnataka have tested positive for the coronavirus. Coastal district of  Uttara Kannada is the most affected with 20 school staff contracting the novel coronavirus. Incidentally, Madhugiri is one of the places in the state other than Chikkaballapur and Ballari where teachers have not been tested positive for coronavirus.

Following the advice of the Karnataka Technical Advisory Committee (K-TAC), schools for classes 9 and 11 are also set to resume from January 15. However, a final decision on this is yet to be made.