Weeks after school buses were stranded in monsoon waterlogging in Gurugram in an episode that drew national attention and put the administration, schools and private bus operators under scrutiny, an inquiry has pointed to negligence by bus operators and drivers.
The district administration has now framed a special bus safety policy for the remainder of the monsoon season.
Traffic police, which examined the sequence of events, found that several buses had been specifically warned against taking routes that subsequently witnessed severe waterlogging. In several cases, police personnel deployed at the spots had also tried to physically stop the buses from proceeding, but the drivers and operators allegedly ignored the warnings.
Following the inquiry, the Deputy Commissioner’s office has worked out a special protocol for school buses during the monsoon. Under the policy, waterlogging-prone stretches will be monitored in real time and schools will be alerted about routes that should be avoided.
In the event of heavy rainfall, schools will be required to consider shifting to online classes instead of risking the movement of school buses. Coordination protocols are also being put in place among the administration, traffic police, schools and transport operators to ensure safe pickup and drop-off of students.
DC Uttam Singh said student safety remained the administration’s top priority.
“We have worked out a policy in coordination with the traffic police, schools and all authorities concerned. We will ensure this kind of incident does not recur, and special coordination protocols are being set up,” he said.
Meanwhile, parents’ associations in Gurugram have demanded that schools and their transport contractors also be held accountable instead of placing the entire responsibility on the district administration.
Parents said they paid several thousand rupees every month as transport charges and argued that the repeated breakdown of school buses during the monsoon warranted a comprehensive review by school managements and private transporters.
They also questioned why private school buses, despite being marketed as premium or high-tech vehicles, frequently faltered during heavy rain, while GMDA’s low-floor city buses appeared to operate without similar problems.
The new protocol is expected to be implemented across schools in the coming days, with the traffic police and school transport operators coordinating on route advisories and weather-related precautions.
