VIJAYAWADA: As many as 2,525 educational institution buses out of the total 2,861 in Krishna district obtained valid fitness certificates (FC) from the transport department in the current academic year, said Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC) E Meera Prasad on Tuesday.
In a press release issued here, Meera Prasad said that the department will carry out an inspection in mid-May every year to examine the condition of buses ferrying students of both schools and colleges, before the commencement of the academic year.
As part of it, the management of the education institutions should send their buses to the respective RTO offices across the district for getting physical examination done and renewing their FCs.
The DTC also said that the department has carried out surprise checks across the district between June 12 and July, registering cases against 236 buses belonging to 122 educational institutions and seized 54 buses.
Special teams constituted to conduct inspections found 336 buses incompetent to obtain the certificates. He called upon the institutions to enrol the details of buses which have been sold or sent for scrapping and parents were asked not to allow their children to travel in buses which failed to adhere to the norms of Motor Vehicle Act (MVI).
Meera Prasad cautioned that criminal cases will be filed against the educational institutions if they operate buses violating the norms.
Besides, surprise checks will be carried out simultaneously to nab the errant drivers and buses ferrying students without any safety equipments.