Transport Commissioner, Vishesh Paul Mahajan today held a meeting with representatives of school authorities regarding the safety audit of vehicles ferrying students. The aim of the move was to seek active participation and cooperation from the school authorities to ensure that vehicles used for ferrying students are fit and safe for transportation.
Referring to the Supreme Court's directions for school buses, the Transport Commissioner set 31st January as the deadline for the mandatory installation of CCTV in school buses so that every activity of the driver and assisting staff while driving is monitored.
This will ensure the safety of students round the clock. The school authorities were directed to ensure that all vehicles are fitted with functional speed governors, with the speed fixed at 40 km/h as per guidelines issued from time to time.
They were informed that the vehicles will be seized on the spot if any school bus will be found violating safety norms while plying on roads, especially with regard to overloading and over speeding.
The authorities assured that all safety measures outlined in the Supreme Court guidelines are being followed to ensure the safety of children. They were further asked to restrict underage students from driving two-wheelers/ four-wheelers in and around school premises.
Additionally, they were directed to hold counseling sessions with the parents to warn about the consequences if their wards are not prohibited from underage driving. The Transport Commissioner was informed that most schools have their own fleet of vehicles, but some private vehicles are also engaged by parents.
Therefore, it is the duty of school authorities to ensure that these vehicles also comply with the mandatory guidelines, such as emergency exit doors, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, GPS trackers, CCTV cameras, the use of seat belts, fire detection alarm system etc.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Joint Transport Commissioner Vinay Samotra, Assistant Transport Commissioner, ARTO (HQ) Jammu, and school authorities.