| Govt fails to implement SC guidelines on safety of school going children | | Flawed policies hit small private owners, benefit big players | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 19: The flawed government policies for private school owners to hire vehicles to ferry students, has been hitting the economy of small private school owners badly which in turn will ultimately benefit some big private school players.
Though the state government has so far failed to implement the Supreme Court guidelines regarding safety norms for school buses but it has also failed to devise a workable policy, which will safeguard the interests of small private school owners in consonance with implementation of norms.
As per the guidelines of the Supreme Court, a school bus must be painted yellow and "School Bus" should be written on the front and back of the bus in bold letters. It must have a first aid box. Windows of the bus must be fitted with horizontal grills. There must be a fire extinguisher in the bus. Any failure on the part of the school in obeying these rules and regulations can lead to punishment under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
Many small private school owners, who have been using hired private vehicles to ferry students, after getting permission from Transport department have caught in situation of deep and devil Sea. "Recently the enforcement wing has debarred all private hired vehicles to ferry children to private schools due to which for the last few days, our children are not able to reach school", Sheikh Ul Rehman of Handwara said, adding that the school in which his children have been enrolled, has only one or two vehicles, which were not able to ferry all students from across the Handwara area.
"The private hired vehicle owners have refused to ferry students due to action from enforcement wing but we are small private school owners and cannot afford to purchase many vehicles for students", an owner of a private school said, adding that for the last many days, many small private schools have been closed.
"A delegation of small school owners had called on Deputy Commissioner Handwara and appealed him to either depute SRTC vehicles to all schools on hiring basis. The delegation assured to pay SRTC the rent or devise some policy regarding hiring of vehicles which will safeguard interests of small school owners along with implementation of SC guidelines", he said, adding that otherwise such orders would ultimately benefit the big school owners, who have huge capital and could own several buses of their own.
The school owners further said that over 500 small private schools in Kashmir valley have without their own vehicles and depend on private hired vehicles, which have facing tough days. |
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