In these parts of Mandya, getting to school is test one

Students of villages in and around Areboppanahalli, K.R. Pet taluk, Mandya district, staging a protest on the Beladakere-Sheelanere road on Tuesday over poor bus connectivity.

For the students of the villages in and around Areboppanahalli in K.R. Pet taluk, the first test every day is making it to their school or college, thanks to poor bus connectivity and an uncooperative bus crew.

At least 500 students, of them around 45 per cent girls, studying in various educational institutions — from lower primary school to pre-university college — depend on the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to get to their classes daily. But, according to the villagers, the corporation doesn’t provide sufficient trips to and from the villages around Areboppanahalli.

On many occasions before, KSRTC has been urged to ply more buses during peak hours to help the students. But following its poor response, a large number of students on Tuesday blocked the Beladakere-Sheelanere road for a while, Bharathi, a class 8 student of Areboppanahalli, told

The Hindu .

Raghu and Sharath, PU students from K.R. Pet, demanded more buses to Beladakere, Sheelanere, Areboppanahalli, Rajaghatta and surrounding villages from K.R. Pet. They said that during peak hours, there are only two trips on the Beladakere-Sheelanere route. And the drivers and conductors don’t allow students to board, they added.

Consequently, many students are often forced to take the costly alternative and travel in autorickshaws and private cabs.

When contacted, senior KSRTC officials said they would take steps to address the matter.