Will take action against schools for violating transportation norms: Gurugram DC

Deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav on Thursday said a school can face action if there are repeated complaints against them for violating transportation of students norms.

Yadav was addressing a gathering of representatives of around 250 private schools in Gurugram in an awareness seminar held at DPS in Sector-45 on Thursday to give detailed knowledge of the safety policy to school authorities. He pressed upon the schools to ensure safe transport of students between schools and their homes by following the safety parameters set by the government.

According to the norms of safe transportation of school students, school buses must have CCTV cameras, first-aid kits, a teacher, a helper besides the bus driver and conductor wearing proper uniform for drop and pick up of students at fixed stoppages, said authorities. Police verification of the driver and the conductor’s background is also mandatory, said authorities.

Addressing the principals and officials, Yadav said the administration has come to know that some private schools are violating the government safety norms and that they would face stern action if there are repeated complainsts against them.

“Four teams, each headed by sub-divisional magistrates of the respective areas, will inspect transport vehicles inside schools periodically while random checking of vehicles ferrying school children will also be taken up on main roads of Gurugram to ensure the school buses are abiding the safety norms.

“The owners of those buses, which are found violating norms, would be slapped with a fine or impounded. Repeated complaints against any school may also lead to its de-affiliation,” said Yadav emphasising on the background verification of drivers

Ravinder Yadav, district transport officer and secretary, regional transport authority, said it is important to keep a check on vehicles ferrying school children as schools have opened after a gap of two years due to the pandemic.

“Several of the old drivers of the school buses may have left their jobs due to the pandemic. Thus, it is important that verification of new drivers is carried out. It must be ensured that buses must have first-aid kits and CCTV cameras. Fitness certification of the buses must be renewed,” said Ravinder Yadav.

Officials said they have been receiving complaints of schools indulging in rash driving, leading to accidents. At least two incidents had taken place after schools reopened in Gurugram this year. While one student was crushed to death after he came under the wheels of his school bus while getting dropped near his residence, another lost his way to home after being dropped from the school bus.