DPS bus mishap fallout: Madhya Pradesh govt to withdraw 2514 old school buses

Indore: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced that 2,514 school buses that are over 15 years old would be phased out, two days after four Delhi Public School students were killed in a collision between their school bus and a truck here.

Chouhan consoled family members of the deceased and visited the hospital where the injured students are undergoing treatment.

“We won’t allow buses more than 15 years old to ply at any cost. A directive will be issued to take these buses off roads within three months,” the chief minister told reporters.

He said that 2,514 out of the total 17,400 school buses, plying with the permission of the Transport Department, have been in operation for more than 15 years.

“These old buses will be taken off roads in a phased manner,” he said.

Chouhan also announced removal of Indore Regional Transport Officer (RTO) M P Singh after taking cognisance of a photograph published by some newspapers in which the officer was purportedly seen laughing while giving information about the accident to a senior police officer.

“I saw the picture (of the officer) in newspapers. This behaviour after such a big tragedy is not good. Therefore, I have immediately removed the RTO,” he said.

According to police officers, the bus was 15 years old.

The accident had occurred at the Kanadiya bypass on Friday when the speeding bus rammed into a truck, killing four students, aged between six and 13 years, and the bus driver, Rahul Sisodia. The bus conductor and nine students were injured, of which six are in a critical condition.

A faulty speed governor device installed on the bus is suspected to be the cause behind the accident.

“We are going to set up automated centres to carry out fitness test of vehicles so as to do away with the human intervention,” Chouhan said.

He said the state government would cap the speed of school buses at 40 km per hour to check road accidents.

The ill-fated school bus was said to be moving at more than 60 km per hour when it crashed into the truck.

Chouhan said the government would set up a centralised data unit that would monitor the speed and location of school buses through GPS.

He said the accident was being investigated by an IAS officer and the probe report would be prepared within 15 days.

“We will take appropriate action as per the report,” the CM said. Chouhan said the government would make all efforts to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured students.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister faced the ire of grieving parents who accused the DPS management of insensitive approach and alleged “irregularities” in the Transport Department.

Chouhan assured them that those guilty would be punished on the basis of the investigation report.

The police had on Saturday arrested DPS Transport Officer Chaitanya Kumawat, Suvidha Auto Gas director Neeraj Agnihotri and its staffer Jalaj Meshram in connection with the accident and booked them for culpable homicide. The accident had led to an outrage in the city.

According to the information available on the Transport Department’s website, the bus was registered in the name of the school which was its third owner.

The Indore RTO, in a report sent to the state transport commissioner, had said the 34-seater bus was issued a fitness certificate on December 26, 10 days before the accident, and it was valid till December 25, 2018, sources had said.