Bhopal: ‘Indore RTO issues fitness documents every 72 sec’

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) has held Delhi Public School management, procedure adopted by RTO for issuing fitness certificates to vehicles and apathetic attitude of parents responsible for gruesome mishap that led to death of four children and driver when DPS bus rammed into a truck in Indore on January 5.

A team of Commission led by its chairperson Dr Raghavendra Sharma visited the school and Indore RTO office a day back and interacted with the school staff and parents of the students. “The school (DPS) is operating more than 50 buses but there is no bus control room. There is no one to monitor the movement of buses,” Dr Sharma told Free Press.

The team, which visited the Indore RTO office was told that fitness certificates are issued to 400 vehicles every day. “Even presuming that the office functions for full 8 hours, a back-of-the-envelope calculation would show that a certificate is issued every 72 seconds. Clearly, they are only fulfilling a formality. Had they been doing their job diligently, the accident may not have taken place,” he said.

The parents of some the students, whom the team talked to, admitted that they never raised the issue of buses being in a bad shape at parent-teacher meetings. The meetings were mostly a formality and one-way affair as parents would either be busy on cell phones or would quietly listen to teachers’ lectures. “It seems they were somewhat reluctant or even afraid to raise inconvenient questions before the management,” he said.

“One of the students had even complained to his father that the bus was in bad shape and that the driver did not seem to know his job well. But latter did not say anything then. He is raising the issue now. Had he done it then, four children would not have lost their lives,” Sharma added. The Commission will submit its findings to the government.

Parents busy on cell phones in PTM

Parents admitted to not raising pitiable condition of buses at parent-teacher meetings. PTMs were a formality and one-way affair as parents would either be busy on cell phones or quietly listen to teachers’ lectures. It seems they were somewhat reluctant or even afraid to raise inconvenient questions before the management.

The school

DPS is operating more than 50 buses but there is no bus control room. There is no one to monitor the movement of buses.

Problem lies in RTO

RTO issues fitness certificates to 400 vehicles daily. Presuming that the office functions for full 8 hours, a back-of-the-envelope calculation would show that a certificate is issued every 72 seconds. Clearly, they are only fulfilling a formality. Had they been doing their job diligently, the accident may not have taken place.