Ludhiana: Over 1,200 schools undertake safety of pupils travelling in buses

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 27

Over 1,200 private and government-aided schools have undertaken the safety of children travelling in buses arranged for their transportation in the district, the Transport Department has claimed.

Telling Numbers

• Total schools: 1,292
• Undertaking submitted: 1,200
• School buses undertaken as safe: 2,607
• School buses checked: 1,125
• School buses challaned: 258

(Source: Transport Dept, figures till April 27)

Heads of the educational institutions have submitted self-declarations to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) here that over 2,600 buses attached to their schools were conforming to safety guidelines for the transportation of the students as mandated in guidelines of the Safe School Vahan Scheme.

It was done after Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney had recently held a meeting with heads of all 1,292 private and government-aided schools in Ludhiana district and had asked them to ensure strict compliance of the Safe School Vahan Scheme for the safety of the students travelling in the school vehicles.

Taking cue of recent incidents involving school buses lacking various mandatory requisites and posing danger to the safety of children, the DC had warned of strict action against school heads and the transporters concerned in case any shortcomings were found and violations were made by the buses in the district.

According to official information available with The Tribune, the heads of as many as 1,292 government-aided and private schools were called for the meeting with the DC here on April 16 following which they were asked to submit the self-declarations in the prescribed proforma, undertaking the safety of the children travelling in the buses attached to their schools.

Acting on the DC’s directions, the heads of almost 1,200 schools have so far submitted their self-declarations, undertaking that the buses transporting the students of their schools were complying with all mandatory guidelines.

The school heads have undertaken in the self-declarations that all 2,607 buses attached to their schools were possessing valid fitness certificates, the vehicles carry the children as per the registered seating capacity, these were fitted with speed governor in a working condition, bus drivers possess valid driving licenses and the buses were plying while conforming in letter and in spirit to the guidelines.

While the majority of the heads of major schools, having the bus transportation facility, have already submitted the undertaking, the few left-out school heads have been asked again to submit the undertaking without any further delay. “Also, if they have no buses attached to their schools, they have been asked to submit the nil report,” a district official said.

Meanwhile, the Transport Department has also launched a special checking and challaning drive to act against school buses found violating the guidelines of the Safe School Vahan Scheme and other road safety rules in the district.

Confirming the development, RTA Secretary Randeep Singh Heer told The Tribune here on Saturday that as many as 1,125 school buses had been checked under the special drive during the past almost 10 days and 258 of them had been challaned for various offences.

“Expired fitness certificate, buses without name of school, carrying children over registered seating capacity, plying without woman attendant, expired fire extinguisher, without first-aid kit and driver without uniform were among major offences for which the challans were issued,” the RTA Secretary divulged.

He said the drive would continue in future as well and the violators would be dealt with sternly to ensure safety of the children travelling in the buses across the district.

Chairing the meeting of the school heads, the DC had stressed that the safety of students was utmost priority and the district administration would not allow any negligence/excuse on the part of schools or transporters in this regard.

“The schools will have to implement the Safe School Vahan Scheme in letter and in spirit to avoid action by the administration in the near future,” Sakshi had said while asking the RTA Secretary and the traffic police to ensure compliance and take strict action against the schools violating the norms.

Directing the school managements to form committees at the school level for implementation of the Safe School Vahan Scheme, the DC had said it was the moral responsibility of the schools to ensure students’ safety.

Pointing out unsafe modes of transportation such as overloaded e-rickshaws, the DC had appealed to school managements to sensitise parents to the safety of the students and to ask them to send their children to schools in safe transportation modes only.

“If the school comes to know about the parents opting for unsafe modes of transportation for students, then the former should apprise the administration of the same too and requisite action will be taken by the authorities concerned,” Sakshi had stated.

The DC also cleared various doubts pertaining to the scheme among school managements.

During the meeting, the school heads were apprised of the norms provided under the scheme.

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From page 1

The Safe School Vahan Scheme makes it mandatory for the school buses to have CCTV cameras, fire extinguisher, attendant and staff with uniform, pollution control clearance, contact number of fire station and police, installation of speed governors, woman attendant for girl students travelling in buses, and first-aid kits among other requisites. Also, the vehicles should not be overloaded than the registered seating capacity.

The school heads were also directed to make adequate parking arrangements to avoid traffic jams outside institutes.

The administration has warned that action will be taken against the schools, if they failed to comply with the rules forthwith.

The information regarding compliance has to be submitted with the department concerned otherwise action will be taken against the schools.

DC: Students’ safety non-compromisable

“The safety of students travelling in school buses is our topmost priority and no compromise with their safety will be tolerated at any cost. Those found violating rules and not conforming to the laid down norms will be dealt with sternly,” said Sakshi Sawhney, DC.

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