Malayinkeezhu: From the hands that had held her with love and care all her life, M T Sreenidhi received a ticket that marked a new right and a new beginning. The emotional father-daughter moment unfolded at the KSRTC Pappanamcode depot on Monday, on the launch day of the Priyadarshini scheme.

Aboard a KSRTC ordinary bus running under the 'Gramavandi' (village vehicle) service in Pallichal panchayat, conductor S Murukan handed over the first free-travel ticket under the scheme to his daughter, turning the official launch into a cherished family memory.

A second-year engineering student at LBS Institute of Technology for Women, Poojappura, Sreenidhi had boarded the bus at Pappanamcode to travel to Pravachambalam. Murukan, a native of Punnamoodu, has been working as a KSRTC conductor for the past 15 years and has been with the Gramavandi service for the last six months.

Though Sreenidhi often travels on the bus operated by her father, the journey on Monday was special as it marked the launch of a scheme that would make her future trips free. Murukan said he was delighted to share the historic moment with his daughter and added that the money saved on travel expenses could now be used for her education.