Jalandhar, March 5
A day after 13 schoolchildren were killed in a road accident involving a school van being plied illegally, transport and traffic police officials impounded five school buses and challaned 38 others for flouting the rules today.

Several checkpoints were set up across the district and vehicles ferrying schoolchildren were checked. Among the vehicles impounded were ‘PB-01’ tourist series Tempo Travellers involved in transporting students without a valid permit. These vehicles belonged to Innocent Hearts School, Jalandhar, and Akal Academy, Boparai Kalan village, Nakodar. The vehicles were being plied in contravention of the Motor Vehicles Act. Most had not been painted in yellow and did not bear the name of the school or its phone number.

In a bid to save schools, the drivers claimed they had an arrangement with parents and that the schools were not involved. The schools whose buses were challaned included Gurukul School; St Soldier School, Maan Nagar; Mayor World School; State Public School, Shahkot; Indo Swiss School; and Kamla Nehru Public School, Phagwara.