60 school buses seized for flouting Telangana standards

With schools re-opening in Telangana, transport authorities have intensified checks on school buses to ensure the safety of children. Nearly 60 school buses operating in the Greater Hyderabad region were seized on Thursday for various violations. Of these, 25 were seized within the limits of Hyderabad city alone.

Hyderabad currently has 1,257 school buses, Joint Transport Commissioner C Ramesh told us. Besides, there are 6,149 buses on Rangareddy district's roads and 6,095 on Medchal district's roads.

The inspection teams started early on Thursday morning with school buses. Transport officials found several violations, such as documents missing, absence of fitness certificates, and non-compliance with safety standards.

The department knows that almost 15% of the Hyderabad school buses have not procured mandatory fitness certificates. But almost 90% of the educational institution buses in Rangareddy and Medchal district procured it.

The inspections ensured that buses have compulsory equipment for safety: each student should have his own seat; the buses should have fire extinguishers and first-aid kits; and the vehicles should get regular maintenance. Also, each school bus should be accompanied by an attendant to serve students' safety.

It is also required that a bus driver hold a valid heavy vehicle licence and be below the age of 60 years. School buses must change their fitness certificates annually, on a test performed by the RTA. These certificates and registration records, the driver's licence and other documents, have to be carried on board on a permanent basis.

School bus seized in Nizamabad for not having fitness certificate

Rahul Kumar, DTO In-charge, Nizamabad, told that one of the school buses running without a fitness certificate was impounded when they went on inspections on Thursday. He added that 790 school buses are present in the district and 680 of them have been inspected to date and found to have valid fitness certificates and licensed drivers.

There are 170 pending buses to inspect. All of them are nearing 15 years of service, and some of them are still on the road for one reason or another. "If any unfit buses are operating on the roads, they will be seized and fined under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act," DTO stated. He also mentioned that the regular inspections will go on in the district with a special emphasis on safeguarding students and preventing road accidents.