Outrage over death of six-yr-old in mishap on pvt school campus
After a major tragedy that ended in the death of a six-year-old girl, Amaira, at BCM School, Sector 32, Chandigarh Road, here, on Monday, residents of the industrial hub on Tuesday alleged that school bus drivers usually drive rashly and at high speed when they come to pick up and drop children. A few residents even claimed to have urged several drivers to drive responsibly, but their requests were not heeded.
The victim lost her life when she was mowed down by a bus on the school campus on Monday. Though the girl was taken to a hospital, she could not survive owing to serious head injuries.
Raminder Singh, a resident of Durga Puri, said, “I have seen school buses being driven at high speed in residential areas many times. Drivers should act more responsibly as in case of any mishap, lives of children will be at stake.”
Another resident, Amita Chaudhary, from Chandar Nagar, said the police should monitor the movement of buses in morning and afternoon hours. “Buses should not be allowed to enter congested roads, there should be one specified spot in an open space where parents can drop off their children. It will decrease chances of mishaps,” she said.
Protesters seek arrest of principal
Parents of Amaira and other students on Tuesday held a protest outside the Police Division 7 and demanded arrest of school principal DP Guleria, who is at large. The bus driver, Simranjit Singh, was arrested on Monday. A case on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered against the driver, the principal, and the school’s management. The offence is non-bailable.
RTA not taking serious action, say residents
Residents complained that whenever a mishap occurs, the RTA swings into action and officials conduct checking for a few days. But when the tension dies down, they become lax in performing their duty. The school authorities take advantage of the same and allow school buses that are not fit to ferry children. Some buses even run without fitness certificates. If schools allow unfit buses to ferry children, besides impounding these buses, strict action should be taken against the school management, said residents.
Road safety council member writes to Gadkari, CM
Dr Kamal Soi, a member of the National Road Safety Council, said Amaira’s death had raised many questions over safe school transportation in schools. He sought government action in a letter addressed to Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, CM Bhagwant Mann, and DGP Gaurav Yadav. He said he had fought the battle of safe transport for schoolchildren single-handedly and got the Safe School Vahan Policy drafted and implemented through the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Unfortunately, he said, these norms were blatantly being flouted by the school authorities, ministry-level officials, traffic police and officials of the RTA Department.
About 30 schoolchildren lose their lives every day in the country due to road crashes and negligence of school managements and enforcing authorities in the country. “The policy requires schools to maintain a proper record of their transportation systems, including registration numbers, vehicle types, and driver details. The schools must also ensure that their vehicles are equipped with safety features such as CCTV cameras, emergency doors, and first-aid kits,” he said.
Given the gravity of the situation, he urged the government to take action, including the cancellation of the affiliation of CBSE/ICSE schools that failed to comply with the Safe School Vahan Policy, conducting regular inspections to ensure schools adhere to the policy, imposing penalties for violations, launching awareness campaigns to educate parents, students, and school authorities, etc.
