Amritsar: DC calls for strict enforcement of ‘Safe School Vehicle’ policy

Addressing a meeting of the Road Safety Committee, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney directed the officials concerned to strictly enforce the ‘Safe School Vehicle’ policy.

She instructed the District Child Protection Officer to ensure that all school buses are equipped with the necessary safety features as outlined in the policy and that regular inspections are carried out to monitor compliance.

“The officials must establish contact with school authorities to implement the policy regulations. An affidavit containing complete information about the school vehicles should be obtained from each school,” she added.

The Deputy Commissioner added that all school buses must be yellow in colour, with fully functional indicators. She directed that any overloaded school buses or autos be challaned.

“It must be ensured that each bus driver is in uniform, holds a valid driving license and is accompanied by a helper,” she said. She appealed to the residents of the district to report any violations related to school buses by calling the child helpline number 1098, so that strict action can be taken.

Sawhney also expressed concern over underage driving and warned that parents of minors caught driving vehicles could face imprisonment of up to three years.

During the meeting, ACP (Traffic) Pawan Kumar reported that the police had collected ₹23, 23,500 in fines by issuing 15,435 challans for traffic violations during the month of July.

Providing further details, he stated that 450 vehicles were challaned for black film, 1,584 for riding without a helmet, 368 for not wearing a seat belt, 52 for driving without a license, 167 for using mobile phones while driving, 207 for violating provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, three for drunk driving, seven for speeding, one for illegal commercial use, two for using pressure horns, 281 for triple riding, 619 for jumping red lights, 2,273 for general traffic violations, 6,253 for wrong parking, 1,090 for towed vehicles, one for smoking while driving, 91 without insurance, 48 without a pollution certificate, 337 for not having a number plate, 1,681 for driving on the wrong side, 65 for dangerous driving and 381 for carrying passengers in cargo vehicles.

Additionally, specific violations involving school vehicles included four school vans challaned for drivers without uniform, one for operating without a route permit, two for overloading and six for other violations.