Schools reluctant in plying buses: Antony Raju
The Hindu
‘Very few have subjected their fleets for fitness tests’
With schools set to reopen next week in the State after 18 months, only a fraction of them have expressed willingness to subject their bus fleets for fitness tests.
Transport Minister Antony Raju, while replying to questions on the preparedness of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) for school reopening in the Assembly on Tuesday, pointed out only 2,828 out of the 22,718 school buses in the State registered for the mandatory inspection as of October 15. Fitness certificates have been issued for 1,628 buses so far, he said.
Elaborating on the ‘students transportation protocol’ released by the Transport Department, Mr. Raju said all buses to ferry students must be equipped with thermal scanners and hand sanitisers. Students will be permitted entry after only recording their temperatures and recording their details on a register. As part of enforcing physical distancing, only one child will be allowed to occupy a seat.