PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay has once again stepped where the executive has failed. Taking suo motu cognizance of Herald’s campaign and its first story on Safe School transport has sought responses of the government, transport, education and traffic police on the failure to notify Goa School Bus Rules.
The division Bench of Justices F M Reis and K L Wadane has served notices to Goa government through (acting) Chief Secretary, Transport Director Arun Desai, Education Director G P Bhat, Deputy Superintendents of North and South Traffic Police; returnable on September 21. Adv A D Bhobe has been appointed the Amicus Curiae, Adv D Lawande will represent the State and PP S R Rivankar will
represent the Dy SP’s of Traffic (North and South).
The notice reads: “We have come across a newspaper report in the local newspaper ‘Herald’ dated Sep 2, 2015 on the caption “25 in a van, 15 in a rickshaw: Children or sardines?”
Quoting from the introduction to Herald’s front page campaign the Honourable High Court stated, “For 3 years the Goa School Bus Rules have not been notified; Supreme Court directives on safe transport for school children flouted blatantly in Goa; Transport Department takes no action against vehicles illegally operating as school transport.”
“On perusal of the said report, we find that there are instances narrated therein to the effect that the children are being transported to schools in a very hazardous manner, without taking into consideration the recommendations and guidelines issued by the Apex Court, as well as the fact that such situations can lead to suffocation and affect the health and safety of the children whilst being transported to schools,” the court observed while referring to the story explaining the pathetic situation of school transport.
It further observed that considering the nature of the contentions leveled in the report, the court found it appropriate ‘to take suo motu cognisance and call upon the concerned authorities to disclose on affidavit the immediate as well as permanent measures taken to ensure the safety of children going to schools which cannot be compromised whilst going to schools on such vehicles.’
