No buses, no roads - students walk 14km to school and back.

Education has become an endurance test for more than 50 school and college-going students of Pachedoddi, a small village near Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district.

With no bus connectivity and no proper road linking their village to the nearby towns, students take a punishing 14 km walk each day. They trek 7 km to schools in Ajjipura, Ramanapura and Hanur, and another 7 km to return home.

The road goes through thick patches of forests besides uneven and unpaved mud roads that become treacherous during monsoon.

The fear of encounters with wild animals is always there as the region comes under the Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Division, where the death of a tiger and the frequent movement of wildlife were reported only recently.

Children of Pachedoddi cry for CM's attention

Long walks to and from school, which few other children of their age are put through, have been forced upon them by lack of reliable transport. Once at school, they grow very tired, with many hardly able to concentrate in class.

"Our parents brought the issue to the notice of authorities but in vain. We have now written to the chief minister, " said a student of the village who along with a few of her friends wrote the letter.

Over the years, innumerable ministers, people's representatives, and officials of the department of education have come to Pachedoddi, promising to bring about a solution, but improvements like a proper road and regular bus service have been pending for far too long.

Recently, the students recorded a video of their struggle and circulated it on social media in a bid to catch the attention of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, but the effort did not yield any result. Despite hardship, the children of Pachedoddi are still pursuing education.