School Buses must be made Mandatory to Students – Vanitha Thorvi
Manipal: “Children should travel in school buses operated by schools,” said Vanitha Thorvi, a member of Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. On her visit to KMC, Manipal to meet the injured students in the Trasi accident here on June 23, Vanitha said that she is in a state of shock and grief after meeting the injured students.
“I will meet the grieving families of the deceased students and console them. I will also hold a meeting with the school authorities on reaching to Trasi and inspect the accident spot,” she said. “Small children should be seated in the front seats while elders should be seated in the last seats on the bus. A school teacher and bus attendant should accompany the school children. The seats in the bus should be allotted age-wise. In the Trasi accident, the vehicle used was private, was not painted yellow and was over-accommodated.”
The Supreme Court guidelines direct school buses to be painted yellow and further it also states that children should be sent in school buses only. Speed governors are needed to be fixed for school buses. The guidelines are in force in the country but parents still rely on private vehicles to save money. School authorities should strictly follow the SC guidelines and enforce them in their schools.
She also said that the traffic police should ensure smooth flow of traffic and monitor the movement of school buses. Licences of private buses and other buses should be suspended if they are found to be driving recklessly. Speed governors are required to be installed in school buses to control the speed.
“117 children have died due to road accidents between 2014-16. If the Supreme Court guidelines and safety measures are not followed, it will ruin the lives of our children. We will engage in talks with parents to ensure that they send their children in school buses,” she added.
The deputy director of Women and Child Welfare Department and other officials were also present.
All houses are not accessible to bus. So parents prefer van/ rickshaw as they will pick from doorstep. government schools dont have grants for buses
Where were you all these days KSCPC? Any ordinary citizen can these comments. But an authorised body like you is there to act in advance and prevent.
Talk, talk and more talk. No action!!
This unknown lady in picture reminds me of an elected rep from ‘smart’ city!! He is very quick to lecture others but you will never see him in any productive campaigns doing actual work!!