Nagpur: Hundreds of schools that missed the June 10 deadline to file affidavits in the school transport safety PIL before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court still have a window till the next hearing.
Extended Deadline for Affidavits
Advocate Willson Mathew, representing some schools, said affidavits can be submitted till June 18, the next date of hearing. The bench has warned non-compliant schools of a ₹50,000 penalty. Many institutions received notices from the education department only on June 4, sent via email and WhatsApp.
Concerns Over Old Vehicles
Mathew also raised concerns over the continued use of Maruti Omni vans as school transport. "Some of these vehicles are 20–25 years old, yet continue to receive fitness certificates from the RTO. They should be banned outright," he said, adding that vans transporting kindergarten students remain outside the PIL's scope.
He further said transport committee meetings in schools are largely perfunctory. "Traffic police officials are not attending these meetings, as reflected in affidavits already filed. Holding meetings alone does not ensure safety," he added.
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