Chandigarh Administration reviews Safe Transportation Policy for Students (STRAPS) as schools reopen after summer break
Secretary Transport UT Chandigarh Vinay Pratap Singh reviewed the Safe Transportation Policy for Students (STRAPS) today in presence of Rupesh Kumar – Secretary State Transport Authority (STA), Shipra Bansal – Chairperson Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR), H S Mamik – President Independent School Association, Traffic Inspector, District Education Officer and President School Bus Operators Welfare Association, Chandigarh
During the meeting, Secretary Transport emphasized that the safety of school children during transportation to & from school is of utmost importance and prime concern of all stakeholders. He also mentioned that all stakeholders should draw lessons from some recent tragic incidents involving school buses & vehicles in different parts of the country and take effective steps in Chandigarh to avoid any such accidents.
Chairperson CCPCR stated that it is observed that sometimes proxy unverified and untrained drivers drive the school buses in the absence of main drivers. She also highlighted the issue of expired medicines in first aid box of school buses & vehicles and that all bus drivers & attendants do not udergo life support training. Secretary Transport directed the School Bus Operators Welfare Association to ensure that only verified & trained drivers are deployed at school buses even if main drivers are absent from duty and that all buses have updated & stocked first aid box. He also emphasized that bus drivers & attendants be given life support training through Red Cross.
Secretary STA informed that the Regional Driving Training Center (RDTC) is under construction and that the same will be completed soon. The training & refresher course of school bus drivers will be soon held at RDTC. He also informed that extensive challans are being done by STA for overcrowded autos & cabs carrying school children.
President Independent School Association Chandigarh urged that Administration should consider avoiding inspections of school buses during opening & closing times of schools as inspections of school buses at such times on the roadside often leads to delays in ferrying school students to & from schools. He further requested that such school bus inspections may be done at other appropriate times to avoid inconvenience to students. Secretary Transport asked Secretary STA & Traffic Police to consider the representation and develop an SOP & schedule for checking of school buses.
Issue of overcrowding in autos & cabs carrying school children and plying of illegal cabs were also discussed, and it was decided that data regarding school children using private autos & cabs be collected through schools and parents should also be advised to avoid using the autos & cabs which are either running without permit or overcrowding children. Details of vehicles used by school children to be obtained by Transport Department & Traffic Police from schools to inspect such vehicles for overcrowding & valid permits and those found violating the motor vehicle law and jeopardizing the safety of school children should be punished heavily. Secretary Transport directed that special drive should be conducted by STA & Traffic Police in month of July & August for curbing violations related to vehicles ferrying school children. Both STA & Traffic Police were directed to submit data of challans done on school buses & vehicles in last 1 year for analysis.
