34 school buses inspected in Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur /Sept 9 /Daljeet Ajnoha :  No compromise will be tolerated on children’s safety, and any lapses found during inspections of school transport will be corrected immediately, district authorities said as part of an ongoing drive under Punjab’s Safe School Vehicle Policy.
***Inspection details and violations
On Tuesday, a joint team checked a total of 34 school buses at Mount Carmel School, Kakkon, Hoshiarpur, and Birla Open Minds School, Model Town. Of these, six buses were challaned for violating safety norms.
***Deficiencies noted during the checks included:
Expired first-aid kits
Absence of a lady attendant
Non-availability of fire extinguishers
Drivers and attendants not wearing prescribed uniforms
Other procedural lapses
School managements were directed to rectify all shortcomings immediately and ensure strict compliance with all parameters of the Safe School Vehicle Policy.
****Awareness and instructions to schools
The district administration team also sensitised school managements, drivers and attendants about child-safety regulations governing school transport. Officials warned that ignoring safety standards in school buses could endanger children’s lives, making it the responsibility of every school management to ensure all mandatory safety facilities are in place.
****Schools were further instructed to:
Ensure periodic medical check-ups of all bus drivers
Make sure drivers and attendants report for duty only in prescribed uniforms
Exercise special caution while young children board and alight from buses
Ensure children are helped to cross roads safely
Drive to continue; multi-agency team involved
District Child Protection Officer Dr Harpreet Kaur said the inspection campaign under the Safe School Vehicle Policy will continue across the district. She urged all school managements to treat children’s safety as the highest priority, promptly remove any deficiencies in their buses, and fully comply with prescribed rules.
The checking team included District Child Protection Unit case worker Kiran Saini and social workers Ranjit Kaur; RTO department’s Amandeep Singh; ASI Shivdev Singh from police; Rashpal Singh from City Traffic Police, Hoshiarpur; and nodal officer Prabhjot Singh from the education department, along with other team members.