PANAJI
Even as the State launched its Road Safety Week celebrations on Monday, the State Commissioner for Protection of Child Rights, Peter Borges has shot off a missive to the Director of Transport Satardekar directing action against sixty 'Bal Rath' buses plying without fitness certificates.
In his letter to Satardekar, Borges has pointed out that the transport department's report reveals that 60 of the 419 Bal Rath buses operating in the State do not have fitness certificates.
"Buses that are plying without proper mandatory fitness certificate, compromise on the safety of so many children and risk their lives," Borges said in his letter.
Quoting section 2(47) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Borges said a school bus is a transport vehicle and therefore requires a permit to ply on the road.
"Being a transport vehicle, it also needs to undergo mandatory fitness tests periodically, without which the permit cannot be renewed," Borges said.
"The fact that around 60 buses have not renewed their fitness certificate, some of them for more than a decade, shows callousness of those involved in monitoring the same," Borges said and asked the director to take punitive action against the erring managements of schools.
Borges also said, that a 'Children’s Transport Committee' is mandated to look into safety matters and asked the Transport director to act and file a compliance report to the Commission.
Meanwhile, in separate communication to heads of schools, Borges has urged the educational institutions to establish 'Prahari Clubs' and appoint 'Nodal Officer' to deal with issues of substance abuse and awareness.
"Primary prevention on substance abuse is very important as the problem is now eating into the very vials of Goan society and is doing much more damage than even alcohol," Borges said in the letter to heads of schools
He said, substance abuse among adolescents continues to wreak havoc in Goa, resulting in tragic consequences for adolescents, their families and communities.
He has suggested setting up of exclusive children’s Club “Prahari” for awareness on bad effects of drugs and substance abuse in all schools with each club having about 20-25 students picked from Class VI to XII.
The nodal officer must be designated to coordinate, implement and monitor the activities of the club and to also ensure that the role of parents and guardians in prevention substance abuse must constitute a subject of discussion in the school management committee and PTA meetings, Borges added.
The Commission, he said will engage with the nodal officers and build their capacity to put together an innovative actionable plan.
