Haryana Govt Considers Having Alcometers In Schools

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India]: The Haryana Transport Ministry will launch a campaign to check the fitness of all school buses and is also considering to proposal to have Alcometers for checking whether drivers are drunk.

The move come after a school bus accident in Haryana's Mahendragarh left five students dead and 15 others injured.

Haryana Transport Minister Aseem Goel said a fitness campaign for school buses will be launched.

On the Mahendragarh school bus accident, Haryana Transport Minister Aseem Goel said, "The transport department is working continuously. A campaign to check the fitness of all school buses will be started from April 20.

"We also said yesterday that as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court, we will also ensure CCTV cameras and speedometers. And we are also considering provision of Alco meter and drivers getting tested two time a day If they had consumed alcohol or not," he added.

Talking about school's response in regard to the campaign he said, "This will be a collective responsibility of all from school to transporters and parents as well. All schools are cooperating with us as everyone cares for child and want to ensure their safety."

Earlier, state's Education Minister Seema Trikha on Thursday said that a show because notice has been issued to the school and all private schools have to provide an affidavit that their vehicles function according to transport rules and norms.

Education Minister Trikha told media, "I want to tell the whole state that today a show cause notice has been issued to the school and apart from that, we have taken self-affidavits from the private schools.

Second, they have to provide an affidavit of the transportation vehicle saying that their vehicles functioned according to the transport rules and norms, third, whoever is driving their vehicles, if they are found drunk, then they (schools) will hold the responsibility."

Trikha further asserted that in the Mahendragarh bus accident case, an FIR will be registered against the driver as well as the school principal and owner.

RTA Assistant Secretary Pradeep Kumar was also suspended with immediate effect after the tragic accident.