39% of school bus vehicles lack a fitness certificate

Nagpur: The municipal and district police, in addition to the three Regional Transport Offices, have come under fire for failing to prioritise the safety of pupils. According to data from the state transport authority, at least 39% of the buses and vans used to carry children lack fitness certificates.

Around 3,464 vans and buses registered with the transport department are used to carry pupils throughout the Nagpur district, which includes both urban and rural regions. The 1,348 of these cars lack a fitness certificate.

According to the law, a van should not transport more than 10 pupils (if they are under the age of 12), whereas an autorickshaw should transport up to five students. Similar instructions have already been given in this respect by the Supreme Court. However, due to inactivity on the parts of the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) and the traffic police, these are seldom ever followed.

In addition to this, there are other unregistered private vans, vehicles, and even thousands of autorickshaws that transport kids to and from school. Most of them were seen to be crammed full of kids.

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