Nagpur, 02 July (HS):

A total of 837 school buses in Nagpur city are reportedly plying without valid

fitness certificates, raising alarming concerns over the students’ safety. The

Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the School Education

Department and the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to file an affidavit by

Thursday, July 10, on this issue.

The matter was heard

on Tuesday by Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Sachin Deshmukh, as part of a

suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) that was initiated in 2012 following

the tragic death of 8-year-old Virat Zade, who was run over by a school bus.

During the

hearing, Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate Firdos Mirza informed the bench that a

recent inspection conducted in June identified 837 school buses as unfit. He

expressed concern that these buses continue to operate without undergoing

mandatory safety checks, thereby endangering the lives of thousands of

students.

Mirza further

highlighted the failure of school and district-level committees, the RTO, and

local police in enforcing proper inspections and regulatory measures. He also

drew the court’s attention to the incomplete implementation of crucial safety

features such as Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) systems and Speed Limiting

Governors (SLG).

Taking cognizance of

these lapses, the High Court has directed the authorities to provide detailed

reports on the condition of school buses and the measures taken for the

academic years 2023–24, 2024–25, and 2025–26.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar