The week-long fitness inspection of school vehicles in Puducherry started at the Mettupalayam truck terminal on Saturday.
There are a total of 900 vehicles belonging to various educational institutions in the Union Territory. Of these, around 862 vehicles ply in Puducherry alone.
Officials from the Transport Department conducted physical checks on the school buses and saw if the buses satisfied the 20-point norms stipulated for them such as presence of a qualified driver, emergency exit, steps etc.
Till June 4
“We have asked the school managements to comply with the norms before the beginning of the academic year. Ten teams led by a Motor Vehicle Inspector and Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector have been assigned a list of vehicles belonging to various institutions. The teams will be focussing on fitness of the vehicles during the drive from May 28 to June 4,” a senior Transport Department official said.
The Motor Vehicle Inspectors will check the condition of the brakes, doors, emergency windows, seats, tyres, fire extinguishers and engine for road-worthiness.
The vehicles must also be fitted with first-aid boxes and speed governors. Notices will be issued to managements that failed to comply with the fitness norms of vehicles, the official added.
Vehicle documents such as insurance, permit, fitness certificate, driving licence, tax and pollution control certificates will also be verified. The inspections will go on till June 4.
