Lack of buses forces students to hang from buses: Muzaffarnagar DIOS

MUZAFFARNAGAR: A day after a video showing a swarm of schoolboys clinging to a bus oblivious to the danger that they face, officials blamed schoolchildren for the act. However, they also admitted that the root of the problem was lack of buses available to cater to the rush at school time.
On Friday, a video clip of one such ride was put on social media, drawing loads of criticism instantly, and forcing local police to act.The shot of schoolboys virtually heaped on an overloaded bus, clutching anything they could hold on to was taken by a scooter-rider somewhere between Muzaffarnagar and Meerapur.\

After getting information about the viral video, senior superintendent of police Muzaffarnagar, Abhishek Yadav had ordered confiscation of the bus and filing of a case against its owner, bus driver and conductor.
“These students are mostly village boys who gang up in large groups in order to put pressure on bus drivers and conductors to give them a free ride,” said Gajender Kumar, district inspector of schools (DIOS). “In addition to that, all government schools start at 8 am, so there is a huge rush of students trying to get to their schools in time. Hence, they have little option but to cling to these overloaded buses,” he added.
According to DIOS Kumar, “I have instructed heads of schools across the district that they should make their students understand not to sit on the roof of buses or cling on to them.”
However, the fact that police have been turning a blind eye to the overloaded buses cannot be ignored. Besides, the matter has brought to the fore the lack of buses to ferry children at school time. In a bid to reach school, often quite a distance from their homes, on time, the children throw caution to the winds and ride dangerously in these buses.
Now, the issue will be discussed by senior officials of the administration.
When TOI approached the private bus stand where the bus in question was seized and spoke with drivers and conductors, they expressed their helplessness in curbing the menace. A conductor, Zahid Ahmed, said, “We can’t stop them. Whenever we try to stop students from climbing on the bus roof and sitting there, they abuse us. Besides, none of them pays a single penny. In fact, 90% of students take a free ride every day. Police should check buses during school time every day.”