Chennai: Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited (NLCIL), has inaugurated free bus services for school and college students in Neyveli. This initiative, announced during the Independence Day celebrations on August 15, 2024, aims to alleviate the transportation costs for students travelling from surrounding villages to Neyveli township schools and colleges.
 

The free bus services, which cover routes from Arch Gate and Mandarakuppam, key transit points for students, will now be available at no cost. The inauguration event was held at Neyveli Arch Gate on August 20, 2024. The ceremony was attended by NLCIL’s Director (HR), Samir Swarup, and the Motor Vehicle Inspector of Neyveli, Francis.
 

The event was well-attended by NLCIL senior officials, representatives from trade unions, and about 150 school children, along with headmasters, headmistresses, and teachers. Prabhakaran, DGM of the Education Department at NLCIL, coordinated the event and welcomed the attendees.
 

In his address, CMD Prasanna Kumar Motupalli highlighted Neyveli township as an educational hub with 38 schools and a college serving around 30,000 students. He stated that the free bus service is part of the "Our Town, Our People, Our Services" initiative and expressed hope that it would benefit approximately 2,000 students regularly.
 

This new service represents a significant step towards removing barriers to education and providing better facilities for students commuting from nearby villages. /BI