Kerala: 20 private buses to pool collection to treat leukaemia patient

KOZHIKODE: Twenty buses on the Kuttiady-Kozhikode route have joined hands to raise money for Ritwin. The six-year-old has leukaemia, and he needs Rs 12 lakh for treatment. Their collections on March 27 will go into it. Ritwin is a Class 1 student at Naduvannur South AMUP School. His teachers and fellow students are also part of the initiative. “The kind-hearted auto drivers of Ulliyeri have also chipped in," said Murali P.P., the headmaster.

"The revenue from bus collections is expected to help attain the target.” When the school approached Benazir Riyas, an alumnus and bus owner, he was ready to run his ten buses for the noble cause. “Later, others too evinced interest," said Mr Riyas, who is also the treasurer of the Kuttiadi-Kozhikode Bus Owners’ Confederation. "The number of buses soared to 20, and we thought the initiative should be under the KKBOC."

Sponsors had already come forward to bear the fuel expenses. The bus conductor will approach each passenger with a notice of the cause, and they can give more as they like. “Two years back, 13 buses on the same route had raised funds like this," he said. "If this is not the time to lend a helping hand to the needy, when is it?”