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Concern over violation of norms by school buses

BHUBANESWAR: City-based Guardians Association expressed concern over violation of Supreme Court guidelines on transporting school children by buses by different schools here.

In a letter faxed to Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy on Monday, the association cautioned that if school children were made to travel in precarious condition, then situation could go beyond control. "Buses hired by most of the schools were rejected by other states

including Tamil Nadu and Delhi governments. Schools find it convenient and cheap to use rejected buses for carrying children," Guardians Association President Madhu Madhab Jena said.

He said barring buses owned by a few school, nobody had bothered to fit windows with grill and doors with reliable locks.

"According to Supreme Court guidelines, the bus should carry students as per the seating capacity. But it is common scene that the buses are overloaded," he said.

"The mandatory instructions such as availability of first aid box, display of telephone number and school’s name, separate space of keeping school bag, special escort (preferably a school teacher) and experienced driver having no-offence record are overlooked by several schools in the city," Mr. Jena said.

The Guardians Association President said though Commerce and Transport Department had communicated the matter to different departments including State police a year back in connection to the issue, no step had been taken to implement these Supreme Court guidelines.

It is a common scene in the city that cycle rickshaw and auto rickshaws carry school students more than its capacity with bags being hung in outer grills.

But neither patrolling police vans nor any police officials bothered to question them.

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