Admn continues to act tough

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 19

The district administration has impounded 22 school buses and challaned 28 for flouting guidelines of the Safe School Vahan Scheme and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. Officials said around 126 buses were inspected on Wednesday and old and unsafe buses were impounded.

Meanwhile, bus operators of a few private schools did not ply buses on Wednesday as they were afraid that their vehicles might be impounded or challaned.

The mother of a school student said she had received a message from the school bus driver that as they were protesting against the administration’s high-handedness, they would not pick up children.

Besides officials of the Regional Transport Authority, SDMs in the district also inspected school buses. The traffic police are sensitising school managements and bus operators to the issue.

Surjit Singh, a parent, said, “Parents hire buses or auto-rickshaws as they do not have time to drop and pick up children from schools. The schools say transporters are independent and parents have to arrange transportation. They are organised and fully aware that parents need them. The administration must step in to regulate the process.”

The administration has initiated a drive to inspect school buses after a van caught fire in Sangrur in which four children were burnt alive.