The Maharashtra government will soon release new regulations for school buses for the upcoming academic year. This move aims to address several complaints filed by parents regarding the unregulated charging of fees, as per a release issued by the office of Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik.
Single-member committee to submit report
To address these complaints, a single-member committee has been formed, which will be headed by former additional transport commissioner Jitendra Patil. The committee has been directed to submit its comprehensive report within a month. Based on the reports, norms for school buses will be determined from the next academic year.
The committee will take into account the recommendations made by the Madan Committee set up to look into complaints regarding the unsafe transport of students in autorickshaws.
State government receives several complaints from parents
The state government has received several complaints from parents who claimed that operators of school buses "unreasonably" charge fees for 12 months even though they ferry students for only 10 months. Parents also claimed they were forced to pay fees for the entire year upfront and demanded a monthly payment facility, as per the release. Sarnaik also directed the Patil Committee to consider the safety of students.
(With Inputs from PTI)
