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UP sends 250 buses to Kota to bring back students
Kota: Students from Uttar Pradesh (UP) who were preparing for competitive examinations in Kota, popularly known as the coaching capital of India, heaved a sigh of
Kota: Students from Uttar Pradesh (UP) who were preparing for competitive examinations in Kota, popularly known as the coaching capital of India, heaved a sigh of relief, as the state government organised bus services to take them back home on Friday night.
“UP government has sent 250 buses to Kota to ferry over 7,000 coaching students from the state,” said Narendra Gupta, additional district magistrate (ADM), Kota, and the nodal officer entrusted with the task.
The UP students have been stranded in Kota since the ongoing nationwide lockdown was initially enforced for 21 days from March 25 and then further extended for another 19 days till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
UP government got into the act to bring back stranded students home after “#sendusbackhome” started trending on Twitter about three days ago.
Vishal Pal (19), a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant from UP’s Kannauj district, expressed relief to reunite with his loved ones while boarding the bus from Rajiv Nagar locality in the town. “I was worried about my family members back home. I’m happy to return home,” Pal said.
Amool Pandey (18), a Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) – Advanced aspirant from UP, was also happy to get back home.
“Many buses departed for UP on Friday night, and the rest left on Saturday morning,” Gupta said.
“The social distancing norms were strictly followed, as each bus ferried up to 30 students even though it has a capacity of 68,” he added.
The district authorities had organised triple-layered masks, hand sanitisers, water bottles, and food packets, which were distributed among students, before they boarded the buses. The buses would reach Agra and Jhansi in UP, and from there the students are expected to find a way for their respective destinations.
“Each student was screened before he boarded a bus,” the ADM said.
However, students from other states are still stranded in Kota. Many states like Bihar have taken exception to the district administration’s bid to ensure outstation students return home after Kota emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot with 97 active cases and two deaths to date.
Around 30,000 students are still stuck in Kota, and anther 10,000 aspirants have returned to their respective states, the district authorities said.
Naveen Maheshwari, director, Allen Career Institute, said around 6,500 students from Bihar, 4,000 from Madhya Pradesh, 3,000 from Jharkhand, 2,000 each from Haryana and Maharashtra, and 1,000 each from the north-east and West Bengal are still stranded in Kota.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted on Friday, urging other states to take a leaf out of UP’s book and arrange taking back students so that “these young boys and girls do not panic or feel depressed”.
