Government to check each school bus

Updated on: Friday, November 25, 2011

A day after nine-year-old Viraj Parmar lost his life in a freak accident while in a school bus, the education department has decided that every bus plying in the city will be “physically checked” to avoid such cases.

While the education department claims it released a government resolution on the matter in September, the accident shows how schools and bus operators are still not clear on the School Bus Safety Policy. “Wednesday’s accident was really unfortunate. Now we have to ensure that such cases don’t recur,” said state education minister Rajendra Darda. He added that he met the principal secretary of education and RTO officials to chart out a plan. The minister asked the education secretary to hold a meeting with school representatives, bus contractors and RTO officials to explain the policy, following which the checks on buses will be carried out.

“We have decided that once schools are again given information on the policy, we will do a physical check of school buses operating in the city before permitting them to ply,” added Darda.

Many parents are planning to take the matter up with schools. “It’s time we demand that the safety guidelines are followed,” said Rajneesh Prasad, a PTA member. Many schools have started conducting meetings with PTA members to inform them of the rules. “One very big problem is that before a policy is implemented, ministers and officials keep changing. We are still confused if the implementation of the policy has been made mandatory,” said another frustrated parent.

“The implementation of this policy needs to bring the RTO, education department and school officials together. The RTO needs to ensure that no operator is allowed to ferry kids without being checked for adopting the mandatory precautions,” said Indrani Malkani, a member of the state-appointed panel for the School Bus Safety Policy.

Bus operators are unhappy about the way they are being treated as ‘culprits’. “The bus was in perfect shape and was following the rules. Why should they be blamed for the child’s mistake?” asked Anil Garg, president of the School Bus Owners’ Association. He added that even though the victim’s parents think a grille should have been in the window, there is no mention of a grille in the policy. “After the Panvel school vehicle accident, it was clearly stated that grilles should not be fixed on windows so students can escape in case of emergencies,” added Garg.

Government to check each school bus

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