School vehicles to be inspected from May 15

Transport Commissionerate has ordered that the fitness certificate should not be given if there is any safety infringement.

In Tamil Nadu, a total of 28,581 vehicles are operated in schools and colleges. Every year, a fitness inspection of school buses and vans transporting children for roadworthiness is being conducted. For the last few days, fitness inspection is conducted in various districts.

An RTO official said that the safety of school children is the responsibility of school authorities and that drivers and attendants have a major role in adhering to safety norms, while carrying school children in the vehicles. He said that it was the responsibility of the drivers of school vans and buses to maintain the vehicles properly.

The inspection process involves checking the emergency exit doors, window grills and speed governors that are compulsory to prevent rash driving. The vehicles must also be fitted with first aid boxes.

The team will also check the painting of the mandatory yellow colour, display of the school bus symbol, provision of racks for keeping school bags under the seats and installation of first aid boxes and fire extinguishers. Buses will also have to meet the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles (Regulation and Control of School Buses), Special Rules 2012, they added.

The Road Transport Officials inspected more than 800 buses and vans that belong to the private schools and colleges in Kancheepuram district on Saturday. The buses which did not have fire extinguisher, speed control device, first aid kit and emergency exit door were sent back.

As many as 460 vehicles from 63 institutions were brought to a private school ground in Perungalathur for inspection where the Revenue Division Officer and Road Traffic Inspector checked all the vehicles. In Kancheepuram, nearly 400 vehicles were taken to a private college ground where the district Sub-Collector along with the RTO officials inspected the vehicles. The officials said that the inspection will go on for the next couple of days.