60% school, college buses yet to get fitness certificates

60% school, college buses yet to get fitness certificates
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Highlights

Even though the Supreme Court had laid down guidelines in 1997 for maintenance of school buses keeping school children safety in mind, majority educational institutions are failing to get fitness certificates. The Transport department is showing laxity in taking action against erring private and corporate educational institutions.

Nellore: Even though the Supreme Court had laid down guidelines in 1997 for maintenance of school buses keeping school children safety in mind, majority educational institutions are failing to get fitness certificates. The Transport department is showing laxity in taking action against erring private and corporate educational institutions.

Highlights:

  • Checking fitness of school buses has become a routine activity for the Transport department
  • Managements of private schools and colleges are reportedly exerting political pressure on officials to get FCs

Still, 60 per cent of school buses in the district are yet to get fitness certificates. This year, the Transport department had decided to arrange speed governors to the school buses for controlling their speed to prevent road accidents.

Officials of the Transport department had conducted fitness tests to the school buses from May 16 to June 12. But, school managements are yet to get their buses to be checked by the Transport department as they are busy with admissions and campaign. According to official sources, only 550 school and college buses from the total of 1,468 have obtained FCs till now in the district.

Majority managements of educational institutions are not maintaining safety standards in their buses. More than 120 buses were not given FCs by the RTA authorities at Atmakur, Kavali, Gudur and Sullurpet transport offices due to inadequate safety measures.

“In fact, many corporate colleges don’t consider our requests due to political pressure and also due to their influence in the department. There are no monitoring committees practically that consist of parents and officials for observing this kind of activity.

This has become a routine checking activity with no concrete results,” said a discouraged official from the Transport department. Even though, the Transport department rejected FCs to the school buses still some private managements are running such services in rural areas giving a jolt to the officials.

The Transport officials are also aware of such occurrences and they are failing to keep an eye on developments in the education sector. Deputy Transport Commissioner N Sivaram Prasad said that they would seize buses if they violate mandatory norms.

By P V Prasad

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