Photos: Prakhar Pandey
The tragic incident of 2012 at Ambala, in which eleven pre-teen students and the driver of a school van succumbed and several others were injured, had raised the concern of all parents on the safety of their wards. Anxious citizens knocked at the doors of the High Court through a PIL, seeking mandatory safety norms for school buses. The judiciary took a serious view of this issue and directed all the relevant stakeholders in the school transport system to abide by certain strict guidelines. In this context, it may be recalled that the Delhi Administration had prescribed specific norms for all the schools that had their own transport fleet or chartered buses. The guidelines were comprehensive: from the colour of the school buses (yellow) to fitting of speed governors and emergency exit doors, training of drivers, provision of a first aid box and the presence of an escort-attendant in each bus. For the hired private buses, it was made mandatory for them to display a board with the name of the school painted in yellow, besides other stipulations. Gurgaon-based schools, catering to hundreds of students from Delhi, were also compelled to comply with these safety norms. Now that the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued similar directives for both the States as well as Chandigarh, the Government of Haryana has come forth with standard procedures to be followed by all the schools. At the outset the government has mooted the Surakshit School Vahan Policy and formed district-level committees under the stewardship of a Regional Transport Authority (RTA). A few of the ‘physical’ requirement under this Policy are: the painting of every school bus in yellow, with a 254mm wide strip of dark blue all around its body - just below the windows; installation of BIS-certified white reflective strips in the front and rear; fitting of an approved speed governor and GPS system; display of the name of the school or the words ‘School Bus’ on the front and rear (and in the case of a hired private carriage, a board with the words ‘On School Duty’ to be prominently placed on the windshield or the destination board); displaying the route and timings; and ensuring proper periodical and preventive maintenance of the buses. A notable feature in this Policy pertains to the need to employ only trained drivers that have at least five years’ experience and have not been challaned for traffic violations. Other important guidelines pertain to the presence of an attendant in each bus, the provision of a first aid box and fire extinguisher, and the absence of any tinted glass or curtains on the windows. The school authorities are also expected to ensure that there is ample space within their school premises for the parking of buses.
Friday Gurgaon (FG) met the Secretary heading the RTA and also conducted a random check of a few schools and buses on these aspects. FG covered Manav Rachna International School, DAV Public School, DPS, Shikshantar School, Amity International School and Swiss Cottage School. Most of the schools checked had implemented this Policy to the satisfaction of the RTA members. Nain, transport in charge of Amity, says: “We seriously look after the safety of our students, and we had implemented most of the requirements under this policy even before it was formulated. A few days ago the RTA members had come for an inspection and they were quite happy and satisfied with what we have done.” The Principal says, “Apart from constant counselling to the drivers to follow safety norms, we have set up a place for them (a library of sorts) so that they might not sit idle. We also conduct regular meetings and make sure that the first pick up and the last drop during a trip is not of a girl child.” Vijay Taneja, the transport in charge of Manav Rachna, reveals their the institution has ensured full compliance of the Surakshit School Vahan Policy for both the primary and secondary sections, and regularly monitors the performance of the drivers. Commenting on measures initiated as per this Policy, Manoj Khatri, the RTA officer, says, “It will take a year for the inspection to be complete. We are working everyday to ensure that the Policy is getting implemented, so that students travel safely. We do inform the schools 10 to 15 days before the inspection, so that they have a chance to review and rectify any shortcomings.
The District Commissioner, Shekhar Vidhyarthi, says, “We want this Policy to be strictly complied with. Children often don’t voice their grievances, and that makes it even more important for us to ensure that there is no laxity in our inspections.” Recalling the Ambala mishap he says, “Unfortunately I was a witness to that incident. I know how students were treated by drivers or operators of the school buses, who would pack them like sardines. They hardly bothered about the safety and security of the students. Anybody still operating like that has to be strictly dealt with.” Principal of DAV Public School, Mrs. Anita Makkar, shares her concern on the safety of the students and welcomes the new Surakshit School Vahan Policy. She contends, “Nowadays schools are much more alert on issues like the security of students. It is necessary for every school to follow these rules, as our priority must be the safety of the students who have been put in our care.” Even the parents and guardians of the students have hailed this bold step by the State. However, while even the students of Central Schools travel by chartered buses or coaches provided by respective establishments (like the Army, Air Force or CRPF), the fact none of the State government schools provides a transport facility for its students is startling.
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