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GL Public School’s 11 buses found unfit & flouting rules
A senior police official said the school has nearly 20 vehicles, out of which 11 buses’ fitness certificates had expired and five vehicles were seized on Friday
As many as eleven buses belonging to the GL Public School, Kanina in Mahendergarh, plying on the road, were found to be flouting the rules and regulations for the last several years and the regional transport office (RTO), Narnaul, has remained a mute spectator.
One of the buses of the school on the morning of April 11 met with an accident near Unhani village that claimed the lives of six children and 19 injured students were admitted to various hospitals in Rewari and Gurugram.
A senior police official said the school has nearly 20 vehicles, out of which 11 buses’ fitness certificates had expired and five vehicles were seized on Friday.
Talking to HT over the phone, DSP Kanina Mahender Singh said many vehicles of the GL Public School were unfit to ply on the road and the transport department officials have seized five vehicles, including three buses, one Mahindra Scorpio and a cruiser for flouting the norms.
“The school management has not paid tax for many buses and their fitness certificate has expired. They had violated all rules. The majority of the buses of this school are unfit to ply on the road,” the DSP added.
In March last year, the transport officials had imposed a fine of ₹15,000 on a bus of the school and despite that the bus’s fitness test expired, said the DSP, adding that the school authorities run the majority of buses whose documents are not complete.
After meetings to discuss strategies to check documents of vehicles were postponed three times, the RTA officials in Mahendergarh have not conducted any meetings since December 12 last year.
Mahendergarh RTA Manoj Kumar could not be reached to comment on his lackadaisical approach to taking action against the school. He did not respond to text calls and messages.
2 men who consumed alcohol with driver held
However, police have arrested two persons identified as Amit Kumar, alias Mita, and Sandeep, both residents of Sehlang village, who had consumed alcohol with the bus driver, Dharmender. A manhunt has been launched to arrest their two aides, besides arresting the school owner, Rajendra Lodha, and his son Subhash Yadav, director of the school.
Kanina DSP said the arrested two persons confessed that they had consumed alcohol with the bus driver somewhere between Sehlang and Khera Talwana village, and thereafter the driver went to villages to bring the students.
A day after HT highlighted that some parents and Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Dharambir Singh raised questions about inducting district education officer (DEO) Sunil Dutt into the probe, deputy commissioner Monika Gupta inducted city magistrate into the panel replacing Dutt.
Minister’s claim of providing free treatment to injured children falls flat
Haryana health minister Dr Kamal Gupta’s claim of providing free treatment to injured children falls flat as the private hospital authorities in Gurugram have demanded ₹5.50 lakh from the father of injured student Sapna Khatana.
Sapna’s father Satish Khatana said his daughter had undergone spine surgery treatment after she received injuries in the accident and the health minister had claimed that the government will bear the treatment expenses but the hospital authorities had sent him a bill of ₹5.5 lakh.
“If the government can’t ensure treatment of injured children, why does the health minister make hollow promises,” he added.
The health minister could not be reached for comment.
