Transport department to hold counselling for students safety in school vehicles
Tuesday, 17 SEPTEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In response to rising concerns over child safety considering recent sexual assault cases, the Transport department in Dehradun will hold counselling and training sessions for school vehicle operators in October. This session will cover safety protocols, child psychology, appropriate behaviour, communication with children and topics such as good touch and bad touch with guidance provided by experts, the regional transport officer (Enforcement) Shailesh Tiwari said. He told The Pioneer that the department has initiated new measures to ensure a secure environment for students commuting in school vehicles such as vans and buses. Initially, the department will be focussing on vans as they are compact and children are more vulnerable in them in comparison to buses. A meeting was held with school vehicle owners and van drivers last week in which several important aspects related to the safe transportation of school children were discussed.
He said, “The meeting focused on how drivers should behave with children, leading to a decision to initiate a verification drive in coordination with the police. This drive will include a thorough inspection of drivers’ licenses and Aadhaar cards to ensure the authenticity of the vehicle operators. We will also provide them counselling under the supervision of experts.” He said that the department has issued key instructions to the van drivers. “We asked them to ensure that no female students are to be seated in the driver’s cabin. If the vehicle carries only female students, a partition or grill must be installed between the driver and the students. The owner’s and driver’s name along with a mobile number should be clearly displayed on the outside of the vehicle. A list containing the names of all students, their parents’ names, addresses and mobile numbers must be kept in the vehicle for inspection by authorities if required. The vehicle owner should avoid frequent changes of drivers. Owners are also responsible for conducting independent verification of drivers and keeping copies of their Aadhaar cards and driving licenses. Tiwari said that the RTO enforcement team will also start checking vehicles this week and raise awareness among parents to ensure these instructions are being followed in Dehradun. These measures are being put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students commuting to and from schools, providing peace of mind to parents and guardians across Dehradun. Tiwari also appealed to parents to remain vigilant, advising them to gather complete information about the vehicle owners and drivers and regularly check in with their children about the drivers’ behaviour.
