Mumbai: School bus operators in the state said they will not run services on November 20, the polling day for the Maharashtra assembly elections, and on November 19. Schools in Mumbai, most of whom are unaware of the move by the bus operators, are undecided on the next step, but said they will have to declare a holiday if the school bus drivers are off duty.
In a statement, the School Bus Owners Association of Maharashtra (SBOA) said that buses will not operate on the two days considering the mandatory deployment of tourist and school buses for election duty across Mumbai and its suburbs, as instructed by all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs).
Additionally, many schools have been designated polling centres, and teaching staff have been assigned election booth duties. This will result in a shortage of teaching staff to attend classes.
A statement from the SBOA requested parents, students, and the general public to cooperate with them. "We request the cooperation and understanding of parents, students, and the general public in this matter," stated the statement issued by Anil Garg, president of School Bus Owners Association of Maharashtra.
Schools are undecided on the next step. At least three schools who were contacted by FPJ said they will have no choice but to declare a holiday if the school bus drivers are off duty. "They must fulfill their election duties, they are bound to do it as per the Right to Education (RTE) Act as well," said Mahendra Ganpule, the former president of the state’s headmasters association, told the Free Press Journal.
The deployment of school staff and infrastructure for elections has been contentious. Parents of a Mumbai school moved the Bombay High Court last month challenging circulars of the Election Commission of India (EC) and also the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) deploying employees of the education department, mostly teachers as polling staff for the upcoming state assembly elections. After the EC informed the court that the teachers of the school will be required to be available for election duty only during the Diwali vacation, November 19 and 20, a day prior to the polls and the election day itself, the court disposed of the petition.
Inputs from FPJ reporters Kamal Mishra, Vikrant Jha
