School buses flout norms with impunity in Kangra

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, December 6

School buses ferrying students in Kangra district are openly flouting norms, putting lives at risk. Bus operators are not even following the directions issued by the Supreme Court related to the transportation of schoolchildren. Most of the school buses operating in the district are often overloaded with students. Some buses have also been modified to increase their seating capacity. Moreover, the condition of some buses is so bad that the Transport Department should not allow them to ply on roads.

SDM, Palampur, Amit Guleira said he had inspected school buses and most of them were not following government guidelines. He had forwarded a report to the District Transport Officer, Kangra, for further action. Interestingly, the government has given powers to SDMs and District Magistrates to penalise the offenders.

The state government has suggested various safety measures for school buses but these remain only on paper. The government had also issued guidelines after 27 schoolchildren were killed in a bus mishap in Nurpur.

The government has capped the age of drivers of school buses at 60 years with a driving experience of five years. But the district administration or the police does not have the records of drivers operating school buses. Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that only a few schools were following the government orders.

The government has also notified the colour of school buses and their speed limit of 40 km per hour, as per the directions of the Supreme Court. However, most of the schools in Kangra district have hired taxis or mini buses to ferry students in violation of the Supreme Court orders. These buses are usually overloaded.

After the Nurpur bus mishap, the government had constituted a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary. All Deputy Commissioners were directed to constitute committees of officers to keep a check on schools and their buses by holding periodic meetings.

The notification issued by the government states, “School managements will not be allowed to hire a driver above 60 years of age and having driving experience not less than five years. The schools will appoint a dedicated transport officer to oversee the plying of buses, their condition and the fitness of drivers. There will be a regular check-up of the driver’s health and his medical records will be kept in order.”

The buses should have a GPS system and CCTV cameras. There will be committees at the district and sub-divisional levels for mandatory checking of buses once every three months. However, these guidelines were never implemented.

Safety measures not followed

• Most of the school buses operating in the district are overloaded and their condition is very poor
• The state government has suggested various safety measures for school buses to ensure the safety of children but these have remained only on paper
• The government had also issued guidelines after 27 schoolchildren were killed in a bus mishap in Nurpur