Punjab Government on Wednesday directed all the District Transport Officers to submit the complete report, regarding the school buses plying in their respective districts within 15 days.
Addressing a meeting of the members of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Punjab, Sukesh Kalia Chairman, said the DTOs have been directed to present the complete record of the school buses like fitness certificate, registration certificate, driving license number of the driver and the details of the conductor to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Punjab.
Kalia said strict action would be taken against the transport officers not submitting the details within 15 days. The DTOs have also been directed to ensure and certify that all school buses plying in their respective districts are complying with Supreme Court guidelines.
Expressing concern over the casual approach and negligent driving of the school bus drivers plying vehicles without any valid documents, Kalia said that it was painful to note that the private school authorities have not been taking caution in ensuring the security of the children while commuting in school buses. Referring to the recent accident case of a school bus that turned down and a 4-year-old got killed at Jallandhar, Kalia said that after investigations it was found that the driver was without license.
Taking serious note of the management committees recruiting untrained drivers without any valid documents and certificates, Kalia has urged the appointing authorities to be more vigilant in recruiting the drivers. Only experienced and trained drivers should be recruited so that the safety of the children could be ensured.