Pune City Police Commissioner Ritesh Kumar recently stressed on the importance of following school bus rules to safeguard the well-being of students during the daily commute. During the meeting of the Traffic District Security Committee held at the Police Commissionerate, Commissioner Kumar discussed measures for student enhancement with various officials like Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar Magar and Regional Transport Officer Ajit Shinde. Safety during transportation.

The commissioner highlighted the importance of strict compliance of school bus rules to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of students traveling between home and school. He emphasized that school buses should have a helper or attendant, a lady attendant is mandatory in buses carrying girls. In addition, the drivers of these buses have to meet specific criteria including proper training, ethical responsibility and clean track record. The School Transport Committee plays an important role in ensuring that these requirements are diligently met.

Commissioner Kumar involves police department, transport branch and transport department to inspect autorickshaws, taxis and other vehicles to ensure safety of women working night shifts in IT companies as well as senior citizens and everyone Is. A joint special operation was also proposed. Passengers are traveling in the night. The purpose of these night outposts is to prevent incidents of rent disputes, theft, assault and other types of malpractices. Strict action will be taken against the drivers and vehicles found violating the rules. The commissioner also directed to stop installation of unauthorized fancy number plates on vehicles and impound such vehicles.

Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik stressed the need for a meeting involving all concerned agencies and the School Transport Committee to effectively implement the school bus rules. He further suggested that local self-government bodies and municipal councils set up school transport committees for government and private schools within their jurisdiction. Regular meetings to be held every three months will raise awareness on this important matter and sensitize the stakeholders and take proactive steps to prevent untoward incidents.

Regional Transport Officer Ajit Shinde emphasized that schools should establish an MoU with school bus operators for student transport. These buses should have a valid Certificate of Competence and comply with the School Bus Regulations in terms of design. Local government bodies should pay special attention to this aspect. It is the responsibility of the schools and the school transport committee to ensure that students are not transported in private vehicles not contracted to the school. Shinde also urged the transport department and the police to report any unauthorized transport activities immediately.

During the meeting, Deputy Regional Transport Officer Sanjeev Bhor presented information and announced the launch of a dedicated website School bus Safety Pune to facilitate the work of the School Bus Student Transport Committee in the district. Currently, 5,731 of the district's 9,663 school buses have registered on the website, and the education department has been urged to encourage all remaining schools to register. To curb illegal transportation of school students, the Transport Department inspected 709 school buses and 417 other vehicles from January to July 10, 2023. Of these, 178 school buses and 84 other vehicles were found in violation and 35 vehicles were seized. The officials collected a fine of Rs 29,75,000 for flouting the rules.

The discussion held during the meeting emphasized the need for strict adherence to school bus rules and collaborative efforts among all concerned stakeholders to ensure safe transportation of students.