Bhubaneswar: The State Transport Authority (STA) has issued a directive to regional transport officers (RTO) to ensure the enforcement of fire safety regulations in school buses, Sunday. Transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur, in a circular to all RTOs, said all school buses must adhere to proper fire safety regulations, the state transport department said in a statement. Thakur said school buses must have a fire detection alarm system (FDAS), fire detection suppression system (FDSS), and fire alarm protection system (FAPS).
These systems are crucial for preventing and handling fire incidents, and ensuring the safety of students traveling by bus. Compliance with these fire safety norms, as per provisions of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1989, is mandatory for all school buses, he said. “To ensure proper implementation, the STA has decided to increase the scope of these measures. Strict monitoring will be conducted on the fire safety arrangements of school buses,” Thakur said. Zonal deputy transport commissioners and RTOs have been asked to regularly inspect these buses. Any school bus found violating these regulations will face legal action,” he said. Motor vehicle inspectors have also been instructed to ensure compliance within their respective regions and to cancel the fitness certificates of non-compliant buses,” he said. “No negligence will be tolerated regarding the safety of young students. Thus, a zero-tolerance policy is being implemented,” the transport commissioner said. It is to be mentioned that as per STA guidelines, the school buses shall be fitted with grills on both the front and the rear end. It has also been specified that the buses shall without fail be fitted with fire-fighting equipment and a first-aid kit.
Further, all the windows of the busses should be reinforced with iron grills. A speed regulator needs to be fitted in the bus so that it cannot be driven at a speed higher than 50 kilometres per hour.