Three school buses fined for traffic violations in UT

The UT State Transport Authority (STA) challaned on Tuesday a total of three school buses and 21 auto rickshaws for plying without permits and proper first aid boxes.

The State Transport Authority also impounded four auto rickshaws for violating provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act.The move comes three days after four students, aged between four and six, were killed and eight others injured after their school van caught fire in Longowal town of Punjab’s Sangrur district and a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a school bus by the driver in Baddi.

However, authorities claim to have carried out the drive in compliance with the recent Punjab and Haryana high court directives.

The vehicles were challenged after a drive was carried out by the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) in collaboration with STA and traffic police.

CCPCR visited Ryan International School, Sector 49, Chandigarh, and Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 45, Chandigarh to inspect the mode of transportation opted by the school children to ensure safety and security of children.

Chairperson of CCPCR Harjinder Kaur was accompanied by Pooja Punchhi, member, of CCPCR, Kartar Singh, law officer of CCPCR, Arvind K Dhawan, senior assistant of CCPCR, along with a team of STA and traffic police officials.

The commission checked driving licenses of the drivers, speed governors, fitness certificates, fire extinguishers in vehicles, first aid boxes, emergency doors, CCTVs and lady attendants in each bus. During inspection, three buses of Ryan International School, Sector 49, Chandigarh, with no Chandigarh permit were challaned.

Members of CCPCR said it was observed that auto rickshaws carrying students were overloaded and some of the auto rickshaw drivers had no valid driving licences. They said that the drivers did not have uniform or fitness certificates.