School buses violating Supreme Court guidelines with impunity

School bus without window grill

Ludhiana, April 11

Authorities of various schools, parents of students and drivers of school vans seem to have not learnt any lesson from previous incidents. They continue to violate the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court for plying school buses.

The condition of school vans has still not changed. Most of them still remain overcrowded. Lack of fire extinguishers and other safety measures continue to play havoc with the lives of children in the city.

Due to the absence of first-aid boxes, safety grills, fire extinguishers and adequate staff, it becomes too risky to send children in such school vans and auto-rickshaws, which are generally overcrowded. Buses of different colours run on roads without the school’s name inscribed on it. Some of the vans run on LPG cylinders. Moreover, many drivers aren’t even aware of the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

Jaswant Singh, father of two children, said, “Every time when something happens with school buses, the incident leaves an impact on the minds of parents.

But bus operators are ready with excuses every time. Fuel price hike is the permanent excuse of the drivers to justify overloading. When we ask them to improve the condition of buses, they demand more money.” Meanwhile, Navita Puri, principal of Kundan Vidya Mandir School, said, “We have our own buses. But private van operators who are associated with us, sometimes, don’t care about the norms. We often conduct meetings with them to make them aware about the traffic rules and guidelines of the government.”

SC GUIDELINESn Buses should be painted yellow n School bus must be written on its rear and front. n It should have a first-aid box. n It must be fitted with a speed governor. n Windows must have horizontal grills. n It should have a fire extinguisher. n The school name and telephone number must be written on it n Both doors should be fitted with secure locks. n There should be space under the seats for school bags. n There must be an attendant in the bus. n Driver should have at least five years experience of driving heavy vehicles. n A driver, who has been challaned more than twice a year for offences like red-light jumping, violation of lane discipline or allowing an unauthorised person to drive, cannot be employed as per Section 2(47) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.