Haryana Reexamines School Transport Safety After Tragic Accident

Haryana's Directorate of Secondary Education has called an emergency meeting of top education officials in the wake of a tragic school bus accident in Mahendragarh district. The meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, will review the implementation of the state's "Surakshit School Vahan Policy" to ensure the safety of schoolchildren being transported. 

The policy, formulated by the Transport Department in 2014, outlines numerous safety provisions and establishes a three-tier committee structure to oversee its enforcement. At the state level, a panel headed by the Principal Secretary of the Education Department sets the norms. District-level committees, led by Deputy Commissioners, are tasked with developing action plans and conducting regular bus inspections. Smaller sub-district committees under SDMs are required to submit monthly inspection reports. 

Under the policy, schools and bus operators must comply with a 20-point checklist of safety features, including CCTV cameras, GPS tracking, and speed governors. However, concerns have arisen after today's accident, prompting the state to urgently examine the ground-level implementation of these safety standards.

In a related development, the District Education Officer (DEO) of Hisar, Pradeep Narwal, conducted surprise inspections of private schools on Thursday. He issued notices to four schools that were found to be operational despite it being a declared holiday. This underscores the need for stricter enforcement across Haryana's school transportation system. The emergency meeting of education officials is expected to identify gaps in the implementation of the Surakshit School Vahan Policy and devise strategies to strengthen its enforcement. The aim is to prevent such tragic incidents in the future and ensure the safe commute of schoolchildren across the state.