Chennai: The school education department has warned students not to travel on bus footboards, adding that if they are caught doing so several times, their free bus passes will be cancelled. A circular sent by the director of school education to all schools says that when a student is caught for the first time by the traffic police for travelling on the footboard, the school authorities will warn the student in the presence of his parents. If they continue to violate the rule, their bus passes will be cancelled.
Director of school education (DSE) S. Kannappan asked schools to invite officials from the traffic police to parent-teacher meetings to speak about the need to avoid footboard travel. Headmasters have been asked to identify students who come on bus routes that are crowded every day and explain to them the steps to be taken for safe travel.
A high-level committee with members from school education, traffic police, law and order police and officials from the metropolitan transport corporation (MTC) has already recommended a ban on celebrating Bus Day. The school education director has reiterated the high-level committee’s order banning Bus Day.
In 2012, four students, including two school students, were crushed to death when a lorry hit them while they were travelling on the footboard of a bus. This made state government come up with strict measures against footboard travel.
Inspection of school vehicles from tomorrow
In line with the reopening of schools during the first week of June, the safety and fitness of school buses and vans will be inspected in the city by the special team appointed by the Chennai collector between May 14 and May 22. A meeting in this connection was convened by Chennai collector E. Sundaravalli at her office on Tuesday.
The team includes the chief educational officer, district educational officers, tahsildar, regional transport officer and the police. During the meeting, it was discussed that the district educational officers should take steps to inform all the schools to bring the vehicles for inspection to the respective regional transport office. Revenue officials and the local police were asked to coordinate to carry out the inspection.
