Ratia Dalit girl ‘victim’ of roadway rules

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, October 6

At a time when the government is promoting Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, a Dalit girl from Ratia town has become a victim of outdated roadway rules.

Suresh Kaswan, General Manager, Haryana Roadways at Sirsa, claims that government rules did not authorise him to issue students’ bus passes beyond a distance of 60 km.

Though students like Jyoti are entitled to free bus pass facility, the roadways authorities have refused to issue her a bus pass on the ground that Ratia is 65 km from Sirsa while they can issue bus passes for only 60 km only.

A student of MA (English) in Chaudhary Devi Lal University at Sirsa, Jyoti Rani has to travel daily from Ratia to Sirsa for her studies and spends Rs 120 every day on this count, an amount out of reach for her physically disabled father.

“My father was a car driver and worked with a private firm. A road accident left him physically disabled. Our entire family lives on the social security pension of Rs 2,000 the family gets. Under these circumstances, I am not in a position to spend Rs 120 per day on bus travel. However, my repeated requests to the roadways authorities have failed to move them. Now, I have been left with no other choice than to leave my studies midway,” she lamented.

Prof Anu Shukla, Chairperson of the English Department, said Jyoti is a brilliant student but she may have to discontinue her studies if she did not get a bus pass or free boarding and lodging in the hostel.