CCTV footages were not available from the bus in which molestation of the child took place on Thursday. According to the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) circular, the CCTV and the GPS-installed in school buses should remain operational 24×7.
TI, Baljit confirmed that though CCTV was installed in the bus, the footage was not available. He also confirmed that the bus attendant was a minor! The CBSE circular was issued to all schools across the nation after the Supreme Court issued guidelines that GPS and CCTV arrangements should be made compulsory in each school bus. The bus owner(s) must ensure that the GPS and the CCTV installed in the buses are maintained. This circular was violated in this case.
The circular also says that the management and the head of CBSE affiliated schools will be held responsible for any lapse and action and this could also lead to disaffiliation of the school. Meanwhile, the child rights activists have raised a hue and cry over the attendant being a minor! They wondered how this could happen despite clear instructions from the government. According to rules, police verification of all staff members should have been done.
The circular issued by CBSE clearly mentions that “In addition to the driver, there shall be a conductor, holding a valid license, deployed in each bus, and his qualifications, duties and functions should be in consonance with the provisions in Rule 17 of Motor Vehicles Rule, 1993.’ Police said the school in question could not confirm if police verification of attendant and the driver had been conducted. Child right activist, Prashant Dubey said that the incident could have been averted if police verification of the attendant was done. “First of all, a minor could not have got the job as a bus attendant. Secondly, the police verification would have certainly deterred the attendant for any misadventure,” added Dubey.
BUS KARO: SC
There must be an attendant from the school in the bus. Speed governors with a max speed of 40 kmph should be installed in school cabs. The driver of a school cab must have a valid license to drive LMV-Transport Vehicles for a period of at least four years and must wear light blue shirt, light blue trousers and black shoes. His name ID should be displayed on the shirt. In case of kindergarten, if an authorized person, mutually agreed upon by the school and parents, does not turn up to pick the child from the halting points, the child shall be taken back to the school and their parents should be summoned.
