'School authorities will now have to monitor movement of buses'

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Transport Department will not tolerate any lax approach on the part of school authorities regarding the safety of students. School authorities will now have to monitor every movement of the school buses through GPS. Also, they must adhere to the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court regarding safety in school buses. Schools which frequently violate these guidelines will be fined and they will also face problems while renewing their registration.

A meeting of the heads of government and private schools, Inspectors of Schools and District Transport Officers was held in Guwahati today. In this meeting, stress was laid on adhering to the guidelines of the Supreme Court on school buses. As per these guidelines, school buses must have GPS and CCTV; buses must have a first-aid box; the windows of the buses must be fitted with horizontal grills; there must be a fire extinguisher in the bus; the body of school bus should be yellow in colour; the driver of a school bus must have at least five years experience of driving heavy vehicles and a valid licence etc.

After the meeting, Assistant Transport Commissioner Gautam Das said, "School authorities have been told strictly that their top priority must be the safety and security of the students. All the guidelines of the Supreme Court on school buses must be adhered to.

"Schools will now have a control room and a GPS guide to track every movement of the school buses so that if there is any problem in a bus, they can send immediate help."

Sources said that the meeting was held in Guwahati as the capital city has the highest number of government and private schools. But all district authorities must ensure that schools adhere to the Supreme Court guidelines. Sources further said that school buses and vans often flout safety guidelines. Buses and private vans carrying school children are usually overloaded. Schools take high fees for providing transport services but they often do not pay much attention to the safety aspect.

"This time the department will not tolerate flouting of safety guidelines. If any school is found violating any guideline, at first a fine of Rs 10,000 will be charged. But if it is seen that the school violates safety guidelines, it will face problems while renewing its registration," said sources.

"Schools must also ensure that the driver and handyman of the bus are student-friendly and well-behaved. They must keep this in mind while appointing the bus drivers and other bus staff," added sources.

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