Child run over by school bus: Transport Department to blame?

, Jul 26: Following the tragic

of a young schoolgirl at Mudichur here, the Transport Department has a lot to answer. For one, should any vehicle that has a big hole in its floor be allowed to operate?

The shocking thing is that TN 23 S 9952 from which six-year-old S Sruthi fell onto the road apparently cleared the Fitness Certificate Test sometime ago.

Immediately after the accident, the Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Indira Nagar claimed yesterday that the bus was taken on contract. However, records show that the school actually owns the vehicle.

The school bus was supposed to have been checked by the Motor Vehicle Inspector earlier this month but in this case it is clear that the Supreme Court's guidelines on safety have been ignored by all concerned.

Sruthi unfortunately paid for their criminal negligence when she got down from a seat in the sixth row of the bus as her mother Priya was waiting at the next stop. The Class II student slipped through the gaping hole underneath. Moments later, the rear wheels of the bus ran over her.

Motorists and the locals subsequently intercepted the vehicle. The other kids were taken out from the bus before it was set on fire. By the time police reached the spot, the mob had thrashed the driver Seeman and another man who was an attender on the bus.

Incidentally, Sruthi's father Sethumadhavan drops many children at their respective schools daily in his auto. His daughter was sent to the Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School as Sethumadhavan wanted her to get the best possible education.

OneIndia News