Several schools in Kolkata have had to alter their schedules as buses that ferry schoolchildren on the city’s eastern and southeastern fringes have been requisitioned by the West Bengal State Election Commission for the July 8 panchayat polls.
Affected schools have either switched to online classes or tweaked timings to ensure that the academic schedule is least affected.
Amita Prasad, director, Indus Valley World School, said: “We have gone online for yesterday (Thursday), today and Monday (July 10) because our school buses are not available for students. Weekends are off anyway.”
Delhi Public School Megacity was also closed on Friday.
Some schools like The Heritage School have planned to take compensatory classes to make up for the loss in school days.
Passengers perilously hang from the footboard of a bus on the EM Bypass on Friday. Most buses have been requisitioned for poll duty leaving people stranded on roads
“Our school was open last Saturday, July 1, from pre-nursery to Class XII. We followed the Thursday timetable. There was no school on Thursday, July 6, and today (Friday) since our entire fleet of buses have been requisitioned for the panchayat election duty,” said Runa Chatterjee, headmistress, The Heritage School. “We will also work with children next Saturday (July 15) to make up for the academic loss.”
Principal Sharmili Shah of Orchids The International School, Newtown, located at Jodthbhim, said: “Since many public and private buses will not be available in the city owing to the panchayat elections from Friday evening, the school will get over at 12 noon for students, teachers and non-teaching staff as well. Saturday is already a weekly off for all of us.”
Areas closest to the city where rural polls will be held are parts of New Town, Rajarhat, Calcutta Leather Complex, Sonarpur, Baruipur, Domjur, Liluah, Rahara and Ghola.
Buses that ferry IT sector employees to their offices in Salt Lake and New Town are also off the road. Hundreds of people could be spotted waiting for transport at bus stops along the EM Bypass, Salt Lake and New Town.
People stranded near the Maidan because of dearth of buses had to haggle with taxi drivers over steep fares