Ghaziabad seeks 800 buses for Noida airport opening, schools to shift classes online

Ghaziabad regional transport officer PK Singh said the transport department is arranging 800 buses from schools, with the final number possibly revised

The Ghaziabad administration has issued a notification requisitioning 800 buses to ferry people to the inauguration ceremony of Noida International Airport in Jewar on March 28 and ordering classes in all schools in the district be moved online for the day.

Jyoti Gupta, director of Shri Ram Universal School, said that schools operating on that day will face issues. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“In view of the inauguration ceremony of Noida International Airport, Jewar, by Honourable Prime Minister of India on March 28, 2026, arrangements for 800 buses need to be made from Ghaziabad for the transportation of beneficiaries of government’s development schemes,” the order stated. “Therefore, for the smooth conduct of the aforementioned programme… and for traffic management, online classes will be conducted in schools in the Ghaziabad area on March 28, 2026.”

Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravinder Kumar Mandar confirmed that he issued the order Tuesday evening. “We have the power to take over the buses. The chief development officer (CDO) will be able to give information about the number of beneficiaries and also about the schemes they got benefited,” Mandar said.

To be sure, the order has been issued for a Saturday when most schools are already closed.

The letter, which HT has accessed, is also marked to senior traffic police officials, transport department officials, education department officials, and all school principals in the district.

Ghaziabad regional transport officer PK Singh said the transport department is arranging 800 buses from schools, with the final number possibly revised. “The round-trip cost per bus to Jewar is estimated at around ₹12,000. UP State Road Transport Corporation buses were not taken because they have a fixed rate of about ₹22,000 for a range of 200 kilometres,” he said.

Ghaziabad CDO Abhinav Gopal and city magistrate Santosh Kumar did not respond to repeated calls seeking comment on the matter.

District basic education officer OP Yadav did not respond to repeated calls seeking comment on the issue.

Jyoti Gupta, director of Shri Ram Universal School, said that schools operating on that day will face issues. “We have received the communication to provide buses... [The administration] should use government or private buses instead of the school buses... Schools have to arrange for fuel, drivers, and conductors. It adds to our responsibility,” Gupta said.

“We have received communication that school buses will be required for the event, and we will have to send them. Our concern is that Class 12 students have board examinations on Saturday,” said Sharmila Raheja, principal of Uttam School for Girls, Ghaziabad.

Congress spokesperson Dolly Sharma criticised the order on social media. “The letter shows that event management is more important than students’ education. Buses will be taken from schools, and children will attend online classes. We would like to ask the authorities who the beneficiaries are and how many will be ferried for the inauguration event,” Sharma said, adding that she suspects the buses are being arranged to ferry Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers for the event.

Samajwadi Party’s district president Faisal Hussain noted that bus takeovers generally happen during elections or emergencies. “If this many buses are slated to go to Jewar, it is just an attempt to fill in the crowd,” he said.

BJP city president Mayank Goel denied that the buses would be used to ferry party workers. “The opposition parties have a tendency to oppose development activities, and they are lying about the takeover of buses for party workers. We have arranged for about 500 buses on our own from Ghaziabad to go to Jewar. The allegations by opposition parties are baseless and false,” Goel said.