Bus crash sparks safety debate

The Department of Transport insisted that it had a ‘limited’ role to play in the matter.

Commissioner Bhaskar Rao maintained that the onus was on the parents and school managements. Even though the department came up with several schemes for controlling private vehicle operators, resistance from parents posed problems, Rao contended.  “School managements should be blamed for criminal negligence in such instances,” Rao said.

M Srinivasan, President of the Management of Independent CBSE Schools’ Association, Karnataka, claims that the school managements often know little about the drivers.

Mansoor Ali, Board Member of the Delhi Public School said: “School managements cannot evade from the responsibility of transportation.”

Zainab H, an R T Nagar resident and mother of two, said: “Punishment has to be exemplary as our children’s lives are at stake.”

Driver was not drunk, say police

The driver of the school bus that killed a student on Sarjapura Road had not consumed alcohol, and his daughter travelling in the same bus also suffered minor injuries, Bangalore Rural Police said. A seriously injured Jamuna and driver Govindraju are recovering. The driver’s daughter Navya was in the pre-nursery of the same school.