Maharashtra government to turn scrapped buses to schools, libraries

The tribal as well as remote areas in the state would soon get schools and libraries designed innovatively with the transport department deciding to convert its scrapped buses into permanent schools and libraries.

Minister for transport Diwakar Raote on Wednesday informed media persons that it was his son Unmesh Raote's idea to utilise scrapped buses as schools by removing their wheels. Raote informed that this idea was welcomed by the managing director of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). The MSRTC scraps hundreds of buses and these would now be utilised to provide schools since there are restrictions on construction of buildings in forest areas, informed Raote.

Raote also informed that when he put forward this idea to the tribal development department, other depratments have also shown keen interest in this and an idea of providing libraries made in such buses came up. He said that instead of selling the scrapped buses there could be novel schools and libraries which would also have teachers' rooms.

Raote informed that the tyres of the buses are sold every year through auction but minister of state for rural development Deepak Kesarkar has taken keen interest in building small barrages by using these tyres. Raote added that first such a project of building barrages out of tyres would be undertaken in Sindhudurg. He informed that while a tyre barrage costs Rs1.5 lakh, small barrage to build in a traditional way would cost crores of rupees.

Source | Daily News Analysis | 13 August 2015