Students, parents a harried lot as school buses stay off road in Panchkula

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, April 15

School buses stayed off roads today as operators protested against the district administration’s action against school vehicles plying without valid permit and roadworthiness, causing inconvenience to students and their parents alike.

A road accident in Mahendragarh on April 11, which resulted in fatal injuries to students, led to strict checking of all school buses plying in the city.

In Panchkula, out of total 285 buses, the Regional Transport Office (RTA) checked over 75 buses for violations of Surakshit School Vahan Policy and impounded 14 of them.

The action led to a protest launched by school bus drivers and conductors.

Leaders of the School Bus Drivers’ Union said they had met officials at the RTA office and sought time to get the requisite permits and necessary installations in their vehicles.

Surender Kumar, one of the leaders from the union, said, “The officials failed to provide us any leniency. Therefore, we launched a protest on Monday.”

Students who commute by school buses said that as a result, they had to opt for alternative ways to reach their schools. “We kept waiting for the buses only to be informed that we will have to go on our own due to a protest by drivers’ union,” said a class 9 student.

Kumar said they would continue the protest tomorrow in case they were not given time to ensure fitness of their vehicles to ferry students.

RTA Hairatjeet Kaur said the office had taken swift action to prevent plying of school buses without roadworthiness. “We have checked 75 buses and already impounded 14. The checking of buses will continue,” she pointed out.

Later in the evening, union leaders claimed that they had held a meeting with the Union Transport Minister Piyush Goyal and had been given 10 days’ time to ensure fitness of buses and obtain valid permits to ply them. “As such, we have ended our protest,” Kumar said.

Given time to meet norms, protest ends

Leaders of the School Bus Drivers' Union claimed that they had held a meeting with the Union Transport Minister Piyush Goyal and had been given 10 days' time to ensure fitness of buses and obtain valid permits to ply them. "As such, we have ended our protest," said Surender Kumar, one of the leader.

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