School bus driver held for putting lives of 30 kids in danger in Dadri

Greater Noida: A 37-year-old school bus driver was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly putting the lives of 30 children at risk as he rammed the bus on a closed railway barrier in Dadri area of Gautam Budh Nagar

Greater Noida: A 37-year-old school bus driver was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly putting the lives of 30 children at risk as he rammed the bus on a closed railway barrier in Dadri area of Gautam Budh Nagar. The incident took place on Monday morning at the Kheri railway crossing on the Delhi-Howrah railway line.

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According to officials, the driver, identified as Ayaram (37), was ferrying 30 students from Kailashpur village to the private school in Kheri village.

“When the bus reached Kheri village ‘fatak’ (railway line barrier), the barricade was just closing. However, since the driver was speeding, he did not stop and rammed into the barrier. Even after breaking the barrier, the driver did not stop and continued to speed ahead, crossing the railway line,” said SK Verma, inspector in charge of RPF (Railway Police Force) police station, Dadri.

Verma added that an official from the RPF post directed him to stop but to no avail. “A train was going to pass through the railway line when the driver sped through it dangerously. He was directed to stop ahead by railway officials but he did not heed to their advice. The Government Railway Police (GRP) registered a case against the driver on Monday and arrested him from the school on Tuesday,” he said, adding that there were at least 30 children aged between six to 10 years inside the bus at the time of the incident. The bus is owned by the school, he said.

The bus driver, who is a resident of Kailashpur village, has been booked under Section 160 (2) (if any person breaks any gate or chain or barrier set up on either side of a level-crossing which is closed to road traffic, he shall be punishable) of the Railways Act by GRP. The case has been registered at RPF Dadri and the vehicle has been impounded, sources said.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Ganesh Saha said that the traffic police department keeps a close watch on school buses. “We carry out regular drives to train school bus drivers while the regional transport office department keeps a close watch on the fitness of the buses. Drivers ferrying children are advised not to drive recklessly,” he said.

Officials of the regional transport office in Gautam Budh Nagar did not respond to calls or messages despite repeated requests.

The incident has raised concerns among parents in the area regarding the safety of their kids in school buses. “This is a shocking incident and has raised alarm among all parents in the district. Due to the carelessness of the driver, the lives of the children were put to risk. If the train had hit the bus, it would have been a major disaster. Schools need to ensure that their bus drivers are not reckless,” said Manoj Kataria, founder, Gautam Budh Nagar Parents’ Welfare Society.

Earlier in April, a nine-year-old student at a private school in Modinagar town of Ghaziabad died after his head hit a pole when he peeped out of the window of the school bus. The incident had led to a huge outcry by parents against school officials as well as rash drivers of school buses.

Officials of the school could not be reached for a comment.