Despite repeated warnings, buses did not obtain FCs
Representational image
Vijayawada: Soon after the school buses were seized, school managements in the city and district have been worried about the shocking raids conducted by the RTO inspectors.
Special teams with motor vehicle inspectors and officers from the police department conducted raids on school buses to check the condition and fitness certificate issued by the RTO.
The school buses which don’t have fitness certificates have been seized by the team of RTO inspectors who conducted enforcement drives in the district. All school managements in the district were already directed to get fitness certificate for the buses.
Nearly 1,300 buses in the district obtained fitness certificates while 2,104 buses are plying in the district. Some have no FCs while some have no vehicle papers. The management still turns a blind eye on the entire episode.
“Many buses were inspected on Monday during the raids. Totally 10 buses, five from the city and five from Vuyyur, two in Nuzvid and one in Machilipatnam were seized, charged with case of no fitness certificate and driving licence. The school management will be prosecuted in the court,” said DTC S. Venkateswara Rao, when contacted.
As per the Andhra Pradesh Motor Vehicle rule book, all the school and college buses are expected to follow the rules as directed by the Rule 185 (G). The driver’s age should not be more than 60 and five years experience is a must. A detailed certificate which includes health condition and experience must also be attached during the test.
Meanwhile, the parents committee in schools has once again got into the act of checking on the safety issue. “Several times the issue had come into notice, but no one took the initiative,” said sources from a private school in the city.
To ensure more on the safety measures for children, RTO Purendra said, “If one parent along with the school staff travels in the bus daily, if not, at least once in a week, the problem can be solved as he/she can give us an honest first hand review of what is going on.”
Notices served to 57 unrecognised schools:
Acting tough on unrecognised schools that opened on Monday, education department officials served notices to as many as 57 of them, including corporate schools in the city. The schools were asked to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh by Tuesday and remain closed until all permissions are acquired from the district education officer.
However, the schools can function by paying Rs 10, 000 as fine per day as per the RTE Act. Vijayawada Dy. DEO K. Ravi Kumar said all the 57 unrecognised schools in Vijayawada urban mandal and remaining 42 unrecognised schools in three other mandals that come under Vijayawada division have been served notices. One of the schools is Sri Chaitanya School at BRTS road and there are many other corporate schools. Most of them are running high schools with primary school licences. In district there are 6 other unrecognised schools.
Mr Kumar said if the schools fail to pay the fine by Tuesday a report seeking seizure of such schools will be submitted to district collector. “In the act it is not mentioned how many days can the schools continue paying Rs 10, 000 fine,” he added. Meanwhile, parents led by activists of PDSU staged protests at Sri Chaitanya School demanding officials to close the school instead of imposing fines.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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