School buses found ‘unfit’, given 10 days for repairs

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 20

As many as eight school buses were found mechanically ‘unfit’ during a check by the Panchkula police here today. The bus operators have been issued notices to either get the faults repaired in 10 days or face action.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Traffic, Jagtar Singh said over 43 buses were examined to check if they conform to the guidelines framed by the Supreme Court. However, eight buses were found unfit.

The ACP said speed governance in two school buses was not functioning properly, headlights and indicators in two school buses were not working and even a tyre of a bus was not found up to the mark. During the inspection, the police checked presence of grills, first aid kits and uniforms of the drivers.

The 43 school buses belonged to four schools - Satluj Public School, The Gurukul, Sector 20, St Xavier’s High School, Sector 20, and Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Hamid Akhtar addressed the bus drivers and told them to drive safe. He instructed them not to mix drinks and drive, and in case they felt unwell, they should take leave instead of driving and putting their and children’s lives at risk. He also asked them to follow traffic rules and regulations.