more-in In an attempt to sensitise school bus drivers to safety measures and rules to be followed while handling vehicles, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) will conduct an exclusive awareness session for them at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan near Chevayur on Saturday. Senior MVD officials will handle the session, which was planned after serious lapses were noticed on the part of drivers. Participation in the session is mandatory for all school bus drivers, including those of CBSE, ICSE, aided and unaided schools, within the Kozhikode taluk limits. They will have to turn up with the original licence and consent letter from the school authorities. Those who attend the one-day session alone will be granted clearance to drive school buses. Another session for light motor vehicle drivers is also on the cards. According to MVD officials, the decision to hold the session was taken in the wake of noticing serious safety violations on the part of school bus drivers. “Of the 412 educational institution buses we checked as part of the safety audit, 67 failed to meet the safety conditions,” they pointed out. During its recent inspection, the MVD had found that some educational institutions had been using old buses with exhausted engine parts and tyres. A few drivers were also found to be unmindful of safety flaws. The vehicles that were found unfit will not be allowed to be operated this academic year unless their owners cleared all issues within the stipulated time. An MVD inspector said all fit vehicles had been issued ‘checked’ stickers, and that only such vehicles would be permitted to conduct pick-and-drop services. It is the responsibility of the school authorities to ensure that only tested vehicles are used for services, he said. In rural areas, the practice of hiring unfit private vehicles for operating pick-and-drop services too have come to the notice of MVD squads. In the last academic year, two such vehicles used by a private school at Thiruvambady had been intercepted by the squads, and the owners were fined.

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