HYDERABAD: The government is contemplating bringing down validity period of fitness certificates for school buses from one year to three months so as to have an effective check on condition of school buses.At present, fitness certificates for school buses are issued once a year after Road Transport Authority officials check the condition of the buses. According to officials, there are about 40,000 educational institutions and 30,000 school buses in the state, and 52 unfit buses have been seized.The proposal to reduce the validity period came up for discussion at a meeting at the RTA office here on Saturday in the backdrop of the recent ghastly accident in Khammam district wherein a school bus plunged into a stream leaving eight students dead.The meeting discussed ways and means of averting school bus accidents.RTA officials have speeded up checking the fitness of school buses in every district and will submit a report to the government by the end of March. The Motor Vehicle Act stipulates that a bus driver should be aged below 60 years.But it has been found during inspection that many school bus drivers are old.Another important thing noticed is that most school managements are employing retired and those aged over 60 years as drivers.The reason is obvious: they are willing to work for a low salary.Bus Mishap: School Loses RecognitionKothagudem: Four days after the school bus mishap in which 8 children died, the department of school education has cancelled the recognition of Dr LV Reddy Memorial School at Vepalagadda in Kothagudem mandal in Khammam district on Saturday.Surender Reddy, regional joint director of school education, Warangal, issued orders to this effect and the copies of the order were pasted on the main gate of the school as there was no one to receive them.It may be recalled that eight children died and 31 others were injuries when the school bus belonging to Dr LV Reddy Memorial School plunged into a stream in Raghavapuram near Kothagudem town on March 20.Following the incident, the department of school education served showcause notice to the management of the school on March 21 seeking explanation.As the management failed to give an explanation to the notice, the regional joint director issued orders on saturday cancelling recognition of the school.Speaking to Express, Kothagudem mandal education officer Prabhu Dayal said orders were pasted at the main gate of the school as no one were there at the school to receive them."I waited more than an hour at the school. I pasted the copies at the main gate of the school in the presence of police and villagers," he said.Boy Comes Under Wheels of Bus, Dies on the spotMachilipatnam: In a tragic incident, a class II student was crushed to death by his school bus here on Saturday afternoon. The negligence of the driver is said to be the reason behind the accident. According to information, Kannuri Sai Ganesh (7), who is a student of Sri Chaitanya Techno School of Baskarapuram in the town, came under the wheels of his school bus when he got down from the bus through the rear door near his house.It is learnt that since there was no assistant in the bus, the driver did not notice the boy coming under the wheels. The boy was immediately shifted to a local hospital and later to a hospital in Vijayawada. But the doctors at Vijayawada hospital declared that he was brought dead. The boy’s parents staged a dharna in front of the school.
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