The local print media has highlighted many issues with regards to safety for school buses or mode of transport for students by private vehicle. The transport dept. has been making statements about the various safety measures that it intends to implement for the safety of the passengers but this has remained on papers only. It is surprising to see the school buses given by the Govt. through the education dept. do not have any guidelines.
The Government or Directorate of education should have asked the transport dept to formulate these guidelines as the first step. These buses belong to the Government and to create a new beginning of safe transport it was right to educate these young children of this generation by implementing the safety points of proper boarding of the buses at proper bus stops, no overloading, etc. All these safety measures are thrown to the wind by private buses and vehicles owners while transporting students to schools to top it, the parents do not mind it too. The then director of transport Arun Dessai had plenty of Ideas but implementation was poor. Take for example we have the Village Panchayat road safety and traffic management committees set up in the panchayat, the local body is clueless on such committees, they carry a damn on such committees, the dept has to take initiative to coordinates its efforts with the directorate of Panchayats.
Now a new committee is going to be formed with the Headmaster/Principal as its head to monitor school transport. Does the Government feel that these heads are less worked up, hence the additional load? Does the Director of education not know that these heads are also subject teachers? They are not only managers but also teachers too. While some of them have religious obligation which they have to do after school hours. Why can’t the department coordinate with the village panchayat road safety and traffic management committee? The sad part of our local bodies they do not see anything beyond the real estate development of the village. Such issues of rape/suicides/robbery/community social development/ consumer issues are kept in the back burner.
The government should utilize or create employment by employing the new graduates into the pre-employment scheme so that by the time officials retire these people will get permanent jobs when ever vacancy exist. I hope better sense will prevail with the government.
