Thane: The Kalyan Deputy Regional Transport Office (RTO) has issued a notice to a private school, seeking an explanation after two nursery students were injured when they fell from a moving private school van in Ambernath on Monday morning.
Officials stated that the notice was served to the school principal on Tuesday, demanding a detailed explanation to be submitted within seven days without fail.
The notice stated: “As per the School Bus Policy—Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Regulations for School Buses) Rules, 2011, dated 22/03/2011—you, as the Chairman of the School Transport Committee, are held responsible in this matter. You are required to collect all relevant information and submit a detailed explanation to this office within 07 days without fail.”
Ashutosh Barkul, Deputy RTO of Kalyan, told The Free Press Journal that the van has been seized and a challan (fine) of ₹14,000 has been issued. The registration certificate of the vehicle will be suspended, and the driver's license is also set to be suspended.
According to preliminary reports, the van’s rear door was accidentally left unlocked, causing two children from a prominent school in Ambernath West to fall onto the road. The driver reportedly continued driving recklessly, unaware of the incident.
The mishap occurred at around 11:00 AM on the Kalyan-Badlapur Road near Omeyya Tiles shop in Ambernath West. Police stated that the van driver was responsible for regularly transporting nursery students to and from school.
An alert auto-rickshaw driver, who witnessed the incident, immediately stopped his vehicle, flagged down the van, and helped rush the injured children to a nearby hospital. One child sustained a head injury and the other suffered minor leg injuries and was discharged after first aid.
The two caretakers in the van were also held responsible for negligence, as they failed to ensure that the rear door was properly secured.
The driver has been identified as Solman Trimati Sakppa (30), a resident of Ambernath West. The caretakers have been identified as Usha Balid (41) and Kavita Sunil Jadhav (31), both residents of Ambernath West. An FIR has been filed against them at Ambernath West police station.
