School buses in Gurgaon are openly flouting High Court guidelines — most of them don’t have GPS, CCTV and speed governors.
Surprisingly, in quite a few buses, there’s no female chaperon, leaving the way wide open for incidents of molestation. Sometimes, the drivers and conductors don’t wear uniforms!
More than 1,000 buses operate in the city — and their number is set to increase. But, most of the schools — including big names — are ignoring basic safety norms.
The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) will start a drive against such school buses from March 1 to 15. Strict action will be initiated against schools not adhering to the guidelines.
The guidelines include:
1. Every school bus should have a fitness certificate from the transport department
2. Registration, along with insurance and pollution certificate, is necessary
3. School buses can’t have curtains or coloured glass windows
4. School name must be displayed at front, on the rear and at the sides
5. Route no. must clearly be displayed on the bus
6. ‘School Duty’ must be written on private buses carrying school students
7. CCTV, GPS and speed governors must be installed; first aid facility must be made available on the bus
Neelam Mehta, mother of a Class II student, said, “School buses must follow government guidelines — and strict action must be taken against schools ignoring safety norms. Students' safety must not be compromised at any cost. Schools charge hefty amounts for transport — but they fail to provide even the basic facilities.”
Another parent Manish Arora said, “Government should take stringent action against erring schools. Private schools only know how to squeeze money out of parents. But, when it comes to providing the facilities, they look the other way. I always worry about the safety of my son when he is on the school bus.”
Balkishan Goyal, a HSCPCR member, said “Every school will have to follow the regulations. Compromise with student safety will not be tolerated. A parent can directly complain to us in case of violations, and we will take strict action against the school. If they don’t complain, we can’t improve the system. Till March 15, we will try and check every school bus.”
