Only 28% school buses in Nagpur fit to ferry children

NAGPUR: With schools in the city set to reopen from June 26, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) stated that only 28% of school buses in the city have been complied with safety norms.
Deputy RTO Vijay Chavhan told TOI that there are 452 buses registered to ferry schoolchildren. However, only 129 buses have obtained compliance certificates in accordance with the school bus safety policy.Despite strict orders, around 324 buses are yet to comply with safety guidelines.
The policy lays down 28 general conditions for school bus contract carriage permit. As per rules, school buses have to be painted yellow, while private buses carrying schoolchildren will have to sport yellow bands.
It is mandatory for buses to be equipped with first aid boxes, fire extinguishers, convex cross view mirrors for the driver, hand rails, low floor doors, emergency exits and speed governors so that buses do not cross the 40 kmph speed limit in the city.
"We are only asking them to install basic safety features like proper grills on windows, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, log book containing details of all students, speed governors, experienced drivers and woman attendant on the bus," he said.
"But on the other hand, vans ferrying schoolchildren are coming forward and complying with safety norms," said Chavhan. Till last academic year, these vans, most of them private, ferried children illegally. Everyday, at least 10 van drivers approach the transport department for procuring compliance certificate, apart from procuring public transport permits, said Chavhan. "These vans will be allowed to ferry 11 children," he said.
The RTO will begin a check on all buses once schools reopen. "We will take stringent action as per the law and not spare any operator who violates the norms of the new bus policy," he said.
Chavhan said that school principals should take lead in checking whether all the buses have the necessary safety features. "In our interaction with school principals in the past, we distributed booklets mentioning details of the new bus policy. You just need to check whether the bus operator has followed all the rules," he added. The RTO had in the past detained many buses for flouting rules.
Those found flouting the rules are liable to be booked under the Motor Vehicles Act and fined up to Rs 4,000. The RTO even has powers to cancel permits if bus owners are found repeating the offence.