New Delhi: Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana’s intervention has led to the restoration of bus services in a Telangana village, thus allowing students there to reach school and college without incurring much expense.
This, however, is not an outcome of any judicial order, but a letter written by the CJI’s office to the managing director of the Telangana State Regional Transport Corporation (TSRTC). In the 2 November communication, the CJI sought to draw the latter’s attention to a letter received by him, where a Class 8 student from a village in the RangaReddy district recounted the difficulties she and her siblings and friends were facing on account of the discontinuation of the bus service.
P. Vaishnavi, who wrote the letter on 17 September, said the bus service to her village was stopped in light of the Covid pandemic. She said the service remained discontinued despite the reopening of schools. And as a result, she and her siblings — Preethi and Praneeth — were facing difficulty going to school, she added.
She also wrote about financial hardships the family has had to face due to her father’s death during the first wave of Covid. Since her mother is the only earning member of the family, it was not a feasible option for the children to hire an autorickshaw to go to school, she said.
Vaishnavi’s letter, written in Telugu, also spoke about the hardships faced by her friends, including some who are in college, and the high expense they were incurring due to the absence of the bus service.
The school, she said, is 6 km from her village while the college is 18 km away.
The CJI’s private secretary, S.K. Rakheja, attached Vaishnavi’s letter in the communique sent to TSRTC managing director V.S. Sajjanar, asking him to look into the girl’s request for the resumption of the bus service.
“I am directed by the honorable Chief Justice of India (CJI) to bring this to the notice of appropriate authority for necessary action so as to enable the children to commute safely between their village and places of learning through economic mode of public transport,” the letter noted.
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Bus service to RangaReddy village restored
On 3 November, Sajjanar tweeted to thank CJI Ramana for alerting the corporation to Vaishnavi’s letter. He also stated in the same tweet that the bus service had been restored in “token of honoring Right to Education (RTE) of children”. The RTE law makes it compulsory for the government to ensure education for children up to the age of 14 years.
#TSRTC Management sincerely Thank the Hon'ble apex court Chief Justice of India #CJIRamana Sir for alerting us to restore buses to send students on school timings in token of honoring #RTE @rashtrapatibhvn @PMOIndia @DrTamilisaiGuv @TelanganaCMO @barandbench @LiveLawIndia pic.twitter.com/eCkIopxZfH
— V.C Sajjanar IPS MD TSRTC Office (@tsrtcmdoffice) November 3, 2021
Sajjanar said he also spoke to the girl’s mother Thursday and appreciated Vaishnavi’s initiative to write to CJI Ramana.
Spoke to P Vaishnavi also with her mother Greeted Diwali Wishes & appreciated baby for writing about the issue to #CJIRamana Sir.@TheLeaflet_in @LiveLawIndia @barandbench @THHyderabad @TOIHyderabad @TSRTCHQ @NTVJustIn @TelanganaToday @CNNnews18 @ndtvindia @umasudhir @airnews_hyd pic.twitter.com/PtqkwWSOpl
— V.C Sajjanar IPS MD TSRTC Office (@tsrtcmdoffice) November 4, 2021
This is not the first time CJI Ramana has responded to a child’s letter. In June, he replied to a Class 5 student from Kerala, who wrote to him thanking the top court for its orders on Covid-related issues.
Impressed with the girl’s awareness of current issues and the concern she displayed for the “well being of the people in the wake of pandemic”, the CJI wrote: “I am sure you will grow up into an alert, informed and responsible citizen who will contribute immensely towards nation building.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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