'Decide within 6 weeks on bus procurement by private schools'

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court recently directed the State government to take a decision on instructing all private schools to purchase buses that had bodies built by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by D Selvam of Erode, the first division bench comprising acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy issued a direction to the State Transport Department to take a decision within 6 weeks.

Counsel Naveen Kumar Murthy representing the petitioner submitted that several incidents of fatalities such as children falling down from holes on the bus floor, had been reported in many places. Pointing out a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2018, counsel Murthy submitted that there was no rule which required private schools in the city to build the bodies of their buses only by the ARAI-builders.

“The absence of such a stipulation had led to many institutions using vehicles built by unauthorised builders using substandard materials to keep costs low. Therefore, it was necessary to ensure their safety,” he pointed out.

Further, the petitioner urged the court to direct the department authorities to register only vehicles designed by licensed vehicle design institutes.

Responding to this, Government pleader P Muthukumar informed that the petitioner’s representation would be considered within 6 weeks and a decision would be taken too.