With just days to go for phase II of polling in Kolkata and nearby areas on April 29, a section of school pool cars has begun going off the roads earlier than scheduled, disrupting daily commutes for students and raising concerns among parents.
Early withdrawal over requisition fears
The Pool Car Owners Welfare Association has decided to suspend services from April 24 instead of April 27, citing uncertainty around vehicle requisitioning for election duty. The move follows reports that some vehicles were stopped mid-duty over the past two days.
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"When it's written in the slips pasted on cars that the date of reporting is April 27, then why are the cars being taken at whims and fancy? We have written to the regional transport office (RTO) as well as cops, and we have decided to take pool cars off road from April 24. Our members and parents have voiced concerns," Pool Car Owners Welfare Association secretary Sudip Dutta was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Vehicles already marked for poll duty
A large number of vehicles across categories, including private buses, government buses, cabs, pool cars and private vehicles, have been requisitioned to support election logistics such as transporting security forces, polling personnel and materials.
Per TOI, around 300–350 pool cars linked to schools such as South Point, Sushila Birla Girls' School and Birla High School have been asked to report from April 27. However, operators say confusion persists.
"Despite our efforts to ensure smooth operations, our vehicles that are already registered on the SUGAM portal for election duty effective April 27, 2026, are still being requisitioned and instructed to report to Fort Williams for immediate deployment," Dutta said.
Schools shift to online mode
The uncertainty has prompted some schools to take precautionary steps. Loreto House has announced online classes from April 24 to May 6.
At BSS School, principal Sunita Sen said, "Our school buses are unaffected and running smoothly; however, we do not want to take any risks next week, so we have decided to shift to online mode."
Others are monitoring the situation. Rammohan Mission School principal Sujoy Biswas said, "We do not have any control over pool cars, but classes are currently proceeding as normal and the number of absentees has not increased drastically. We will have a clearer picture of the actual scenario in a few days and will make a decision accordingly."
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Concerns over fake requisition claims
Pool car operators estimate that about 3,500 such vehicles have been requisitioned statewide, along with around 150 from the school segment. Police, meanwhile, have flagged cases where vehicles displayed 'booked' stickers without valid authorisation, noting instances of fake 'EC papers' being used.
