Kids walk 5 km, cross two streams in Gadag -- all for studies

It is a tough life for the children of Kokkaragundi village in Gadag district as they walk 5 km and cross two streams to reach their school every day.
With bags on their backs, students cross a stream on foot as they head to school, near Kokkaragundi village in Gadag district | Express
With bags on their backs, students cross a stream on foot as they head to school, near Kokkaragundi village in Gadag district | Express

GADAG: It is a tough life for the children of Kokkaragundi village in Gadag district as they walk 5 km and cross two streams to reach their school every day. Their troubles only increase when it rains with the streams flowing in full force.

It was not all this bad before the pandemic struck as the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) was running regular bus services to the village. But since the two lockdowns, the number of buses plying to the village has been reduced to just two, one at 7 am and the other at 9 pm. 

The students too were not troubled as schools were closed and they stayed put in the village. But with classes six to 12 reopening over the last few weeks, nearly 50 children from the village have to face extreme hardship to continue their studies. 

As this village in Shirahatti taluk does not have a school, these children can go either to Bellatti or Balehousur, which are 5-6 km away. It is a daily nightmare for the parents too, as they are worried about the safety of their children.

Restart buses: Villagers
Villagers have now demanded that the transport corporation resume services, at least to help students reach and come back from school. Villagers said, “We brought it to the notice of NWKRTC officials two weeks ago and they said the services would start soon. But we are still waiting. We are thinking of launching a protest in two to three days, and informed the Shirahatti tahsildar office on Tuesday morning about it.”
A NWKRTC official of Shirahatti stated, “We have informed our higher officials. We will start the services as Covid numbers have gone down.”

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