GPS and CCTV cameras must in all school buses: RTO

The Transport Department has woken up after the tragic school bus accident in Indore which killed five children and the driver on Friday. The Transport Department wants the school buses to install GPS and CCTV cameras in all school buses and has issued orders to install the gadgets at the earliest.

The RTO (Regional Transport Office) has issued a strict warning that any bus found violating the rule will face cancellation and other stringent penalties including jail terms for the staff and the school management. The RTO further instructed the officials to conduct raids on a daily basis and impose hefty fines on such school buses.

The officials of the Transport Department and the police were on the road today checking buses, but as most of the schools were closed due to the severe winter they couldn’t find many buses. During the raid two buses of one school were found to be without the fitness certificate. After confiscating the faulty buses they took the drivers and the cleaners into custody.

In most cases of school bus accidents it has been found that either the school buses did not have a fitness certificate or the drivers and the bus staff were not trained properly.

This is despite the fact that the Supreme Court had given strict instructions and guidelines for the children’s safety while travelling in school buses.

Even as per the guidelines of the Transport Departments, buses older than 15 years cannot be used to transport children but it is a fact that many school buses in the city are more than 20 year old ones.

Neelu Bhadouria, President of the School Bus Operators Association told that the operators are doing everything in their power to safely transport the children.

She further said that the operators will comply in letter and spirit with any new guidelines from the department. RN Nikhara, the DEO said that instructions have been sent to all schools to conduct police verification of the bus staff.