In Poll Sop, Congress Considering Free Metro Travel for Students During Exams

Hyderabad: Besides the six guarantees announced by the Congress leadership for the upcoming Assembly polls, the party is set to include more sops for various sections of the society, as part of which it is actively considering free Metro travel for Hyderabad school, college and university students during exams.

The TPCC’s manifesto committee, comprising 24 members and 16 ex-officio members, under the leadership of MLA D. Sridhar Babu, has been holding meetings with various stakeholders over the past few days to gauge the aspirations of various sections of society.

In a first for the Congress, the committee is also touring districts, seeking public suggestions in drafting the manifesto. So far, it has toured Adilabad district and is set to start a tour of Warangal on Thursday.

Party sources said that the manifesto committee proposed to provide free Metro rail travel in Hyderabad to school, college and university students on the day of examinations to ensure that students reach exam centres on time.

Manifesto committee chairman D. Sridhar Babu said that there were instances of students missing exams as they were stuck in traffic jams. He said this proposal was mooted as they received several representations from students and parents in this regard.

This apart, the committee is also considering providing free Internet access to students, a move aimed at enhancing digital connectivity and supporting students in their educational pursuits.

Under its six guarantees, the Congress has already promised free bus travel to women in TSRTC buses.