JAIPUR: AS many as 22 children were injured, four of them grievously, after a school van in which they were travelling overturned and fell into a roadside ditch near Haridaspur under Dharmasala police limits in the district on Monday. The injured students were rushed to nearby Government hospital and later, four of them shifted to a private hospital. According to reports, the accident took place when the school van of Gurukul Public School at Haridaspur with 22 students on board was on its way to the school from Balichandrapur.
The van skidded off the road and fell into the ditch, just a few yards from the school at 7.05 am. Some locals rescued the children and informed the police. Later, fire personnel from Chandikhole also joined in rescue operation. The students accused the driver of negligent driving. A student said he was talking on the phone. Dharmasala IIC Umakanta Nayak said it is being probed whether the school authorities and the bus operator were adhering to the Supreme Court’s guidelines on safety of school buses.
“Besides, we will look into the allegations that the driver of the van was talking on his mobile phone while driving,” he added. Parents and guardians of the students expressed concern over injuries to children while travelling in school buses or carriers.
They have blamed the school authorities for not adhering to the apex court’s safety guidelines. “Several auto-rickshaws, small vehicles, vans and buses transport schoolchildren without valid fitness certificate. Why is the regional transport office not cracking down on such operators,” questioned child rights activist Anirudha Samantray. He said the van, which has the capacity to seat 13 persons, was carrying 22 children and this aspect needs to be probed