Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur DTOs ordered to submit Apex Court compliant report regarding school buses

Chandigarh, February 12, 2015:  Taking strong exception to the school buses flouting the Supreme Court guidelines, the DTOs of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur have been ordered to submit Apex Court Compliant report regarding buses to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Punjab by February 18.

Presiding over a meeting of the officers of the Commission, Chairman State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Punjab, Sukesh Kalia, expressed concern over the school buses carrying more students than permissible causing great threat to the lives of the children. Kalia said that it was the responsibility of the DTOs to ensure laid down safety norms of the school buses and keep a tab on the buses violating the guidelines. He said that the DTOs would be held responsible for any mishap of school buses. He has summoned the District Transport Officers of Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar and the authorities of K.V.M School Civil Lines Ludhiana to personally submit the compliance report regarding the school buses to the commission by February 18, 2015.

Kalia also expressed concern over the violent approach and rash driving of the drivers of school buses and the uncivilized behaviour of the school teachers in the schools causing great physical and emotional harm to the children.

The Chairman took  suo moto notice of such instances reported in the newspapers where children got hurt due to the negligence of the drivers, children suffering at the hands of the uncivilised school teachers  and simultaneously reported complaints of misbehaviour of one of the school teachers of K.V.M. School Civil Lines Ludhiana.

Taking the entire incident very seriously, the Chairman said that the entire case of Ludhiana school was got examined by the Commission and later on the recommendation of the Principal Navita Puri the guilty teacher was suspended and the departmental inquiry was also initiated against him. A criminal case was also registered against him in the Police Station. The case was still pending in the Law Court, said Kalia. The Principal of the school was also directed to submit complete details of the complaints submitted by the school children and their parents with regard to in-discipline of the teachers along with the status and pendency of the complaints.

The Chairman also directed the management and the Principal of Guru Gobind Public High School to submit complete record of the school buses by February 18. He has also asked the DTOs of Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar to submit the records of school bus plying in accordance with the guidelines of Supreme Court of India. Besides this the Chairman also directed the school administrations and management to ensure the safety of school children and engage the qualified good drivers fulfilling all the laid down norms of the Supreme Court.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Secretary Sumer Singh Gurjar IAS, Deputy Director Rajwinder Singh Gill and other officers of the commission.