By SNV Sudhir
Visakhapatnam, May 2, 2013: With the end of the academic year and schools closed
for the summer vacations the Road Transport Authority has shifted focus on
school buses in the district. The Fitness Certificates (FCs) issued
to these buses after thorough inspection by the RTA sleuths is set
to expire in a few days.
It may be recalled that last year a school bus fell into a
canal in East Godavari district
killing 14 school kids. It’s the responsibility of the school management
to ensure that the school bus obtains FC to ply on the roads. Of the
852 school buses in the district only 647 could be checked. Of them
only 439 were issued fitness certificates and 208 were rejected for not
complying with the norms. After the RTA officials sent notification for
obtaining FC, only 640 school managements responded.
“Schools purchase used vehicles from other states and change
them into school buses to transport children risking lives of school children.
School kids are crammed into these buses,” said Narava Prakasa Rao of
Bala Vikas Foundation (BVF) that works for child rights.
RTA has decided to take up a special drive from the first
week of June to identify unfit buses and initiate necessary action.
Around 12 cases were booked against school managements for using unfit buses.
“We will be initiating a special drive from next month onwards. Surprise checks
will be conducted. It’s mandatory to get a fitness certificate for the bus
to transport school kids,” RTA senior official, Vivekananda Reddy told this
correspondent.
The RTA has warned that if the same vehicle is caught twice
without an FC during the surprise checks it will be seized by the RTA. Schools
are set to reopen in the second week of June.
2 comments:
RTA Authorities has to do this surprise checks every 6 months to protect children from accidents.
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