Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): As many as fourteen private school buses have met with accidents from 2024 till date within the limits of Bhopal Municipal Corporation.
In these accidents, six people lost their lives and 18 were injured, said Transport Minister Uday Pratap Singh in a written reply to a question asked by Congress MLA Arif Aqueel in the Assembly on Wednesday.
These accidents mainly occurred in areas such as Ayodhya Nagar, Piplani, Misrod, Nishatpura, Shyamla Hills, Jehangirabad, Station Bajaria, and TT Nagar localities.
The minister further informed that in these accidents, 14 cases were registered and action was taken against 14 drivers, three vehicle owners and one bus operator. For the transportation of students, private schools are currently operating 2,598 buses in the city.
Meanwhile, 138 school buses have been scrapped. He further stated that fitness certificates for buses are issued by automated testing stations and assured that permits are not issued to buses that do not have valid fitness certificates.
From time to time, bus-checking drives are conducted, and challans are issued to buses lacking permits, insurance, or fitness certificates. While issuing driving licenses for all types of vehicles, including school buses, a character certificate from the police department is mandatorily required from the applicant.
