670 school vehicles checked for violations in Dindigul

Dindigul: As many as 670 school vehicles belonging to 264 institutions were inspected by the authorities during a special check held at the Dindigul district collectorate on Thursday.

With schools set to begin from the first week of June, the maintenance of vehicles transporting children becomes very crucial.

Dindigul collector, Dr T G Vinay who participated in the checking, said that it was very important to ensure that the condition is good and fit to transport the students.

Brakes, tyres, floor boards and emergency exits were checked in all vehicles. He said that first aid boxes should be well stocked and RTOs in the district should ensure that vehicles with drawbacks rectify the issues and inform them before the academic year begins.

The vehicles must also display contact numbers prominently so that public can inform of any traffic rule violation by the drivers. Adequate awareness must be created on traffic rules, which must be adhered to by the drivers. It is important to tell them that over speeding and speaking on the cellphones while driving is a major offence, he said. RTOs were also informed to conduct safety and emergency classes for the drivers and conductors of the buses.

On Monday, a similar exercise was carried out in Virudhunagar district, where 307 vehicles belonging to 76 schools were checked for violations by the authorities. Virudhunagar collector A Sivagnanam said that drivers and conductors should consider the children they transport as their own, and ensure their safety while transporting them.