Nagpur: In a bid to enhance the safety and security of school children across Nagpur, Police Commissioner Dr. Ravindra Kumar Singhal convened a meeting of the District School Bus Safety Committee. The committee, formed under the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle (School Bus Regulation) Rules 2011, aims to ensure the safe transportation of school children.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 4:30 PM at the Police Bhavan in the Police Commissioner’s Office, Civil Lines, Nagpur, discussed various issues regarding student safety as schools and colleges have resumed. Key topics included transportation fees, bus stop designations, school bus documentation, registration certificates, fitness certificates, insurance, licenses, pollution control, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, school-owned buses, permit fees, and contractual school buses.
Key Points Discussed:
1. Every school must have a mandatory safety committee.
2. Schools should establish policies on what to do and what not to do from a student safety perspective.
3. A helpline number should be started for contact purposes.
4. Training should be provided to school bus drivers.
5. Drivers should avoid chewing tobacco while driving to prevent health issues for students.
6. The committee should focus on raising awareness about the harmful effects of drugs on students in the school vicinity.
7. Students and parents should be included in the committee.
8. Information about school bus drivers should be provided to the RTO and traffic police department by the education officers.
The meeting emphasized the collective responsibility of all departments to protect and support the younger generation. Police Commissioner Dr. Singhal stressed the importance of diligent efforts to ensure student safety, stating that any negligence will not be tolerated.
Attendees included Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Sanjay Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Shashikant Satav, Regional Transport Officer Harshal Dake, Education Officers Siddheshwar Kaluse (Primary) and Rohini Kumbhar (Secondary), along with police officers from various Nagpur city traffic branches and Nagpur rural police.
