GREATER NOIDA: As part of ongoing checks related to the safety of school transport, as many as 140 vehicles used for ferrying students in Gautam Budh Nagar were issued notices for operating without valid fitness certificates or permits, officials said on Monday.
Officials said the action was initiated following directions from the transport commissioner, with the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration asking schools to ensure that only vehicles with valid documents are used for ferrying students.
Regional transport department officials said that schools and vehicle owners have been directed not to operate vehicles whose fitness certificates or permits have expired.
“Schools and vehicle owners must get the vehicles inspected by the transport department and ensure renewal of the fitness certificate and permit. Until the documents are valid, such vehicles must not be used to transport students,” said assistant regional transport officer (enforcement) Udit Narayan Pandey.
According to the information from the regional transport department, 47 school vehicles and 93 contracted vehicles in the district currently have expired fitness certificates or permits, prompting the department to issue notices to the owners.
The department has also launched a special enforcement drive against school vehicles in the district to ensure compliance with safety norms. Officials said that legal action may be initiated against schools or vehicle owners found violating the rules.
“Enforcement teams are conducting special checks on school vehicles to ensure compliance with safety norms. Warnings are also being issued that if schools or vehicle owners continue to operate vehicles in violation of the rules, legal action, including registration of FIRs, may be initiated through the concerned department,” added Pandey.
The administration has urged school managements to ensure that vehicles with valid fitness certificates and permits alone are deployed, so that the safety of students commuting to schools is not compromised.
The action comes days after the transport department warned of stricter accountability for schools over student transport safety.
Officials had said that principals and school managements could be held personally responsible if vehicles operating from their campuses were found violating safety norms.
According to officials, all school vehicles must have valid permits, fitness certificates, insurance and pollution under control (PUC) certificates, while drivers must possess valid licences and undergo police verification, medical examination and mandatory training.
Authorities have also made several safety measures compulsory in vehicles ferrying students, including GPS tracking systems, CCTV cameras, fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, seat belts and clearly marked emergency exits. Officials said schools have also been directed to form transport safety committees to periodically review compliance, adding that enforcement drives and inspections will be intensified in the coming weeks.