Yogi govt suspends regional inspector for taking school bus to police lines

The govt also recommends disciplinary action against the assistant regional transport officer (Enforcement) of Chitrakoot.

LUCKNOW: Following chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s instructions, the transport department on Wednesday suspended the regional inspector (Technical) and recommended disciplinary action against the assistant regional transport officer (Enforcement) of Chitrakoot. The action was taken after school children were taken to the police lines as the buses they were travelling in were seized due to lack of fitness certificates that were not issued on time.

The Yogi government adopted a firm stance and took strict action against the responsible officers. (Sourced)

According to transport commissioner SB Singh, two buses ferrying students of Shriji Inter College in Khoh, Chitrakoot district, were seized by the ARTO (Enforcement) team due to expired fitness certificates. The buses, along with the children, were taken to the fire service complex in the police lines, 10 km away from the school.

“The vehicles were seized at 11:15 AM and remained at the police lines until 1:05 PM, causing the buses to be parked for approximately two hours,” he said, adding, “We took the matter seriously and acted accordingly.”

According to reports, RI (Technical) Gulab Chandra of Chitrakoot district was directed to inspect the fitness of school buses at their respective schools. However, he did not follow these instructions, resulting in the fitness certificates for both vehicles not being issued. As a consequence, the buses had to be seized, causing inconvenience and distress to the children.

After the issue was brought to light on Wednesday, the Yogi government adopted a firm stance and took strict action against the responsible officers. RI Gulab Chandra has been suspended with immediate effect, as he was found prima facie responsible for the lapse.

Additionally, a recommendation has been made to take disciplinary action against ARTO (Enforcement) Vivek Kumar Shukla in the case. All personnel in the transport department have been issued strict instructions to avoid such negligence in the future.