Jamshedpur/Ranchi: East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Rajiv Ranjan has ordered a joint inspection of all school vehicles in Jamshedpur to ensure compliance with safety norms, directing operators to update documents before checks begin next week.Stating that the safety of schoolchildren is a top priority, Ranjan asked transport officials and traffic police to conduct coordinated inspections of school buses, private vans and auto-rickshaws ferrying children. “Random inspections of school vehicles will be launched after seven days,” he said.The directive came during a meeting of the district road safety committee on Monday evening, where Ranjan also pushed for a data-driven approach to curb accidents. He instructed the district transport officer (DTO) to analyse road crash data from the past six months to identify key causes and implement corrective and preventive measures.Officials said that 28 road accidents were reported in May, resulting in 19 deaths and 15 injuries. The figures marked a decline from April, when the district recorded 31 accidents, 24 fatalities and 23 grievous injuries. The DC directed departments to sustain the downward trend.Enforcement action also intensified, with Rs 23.44 lakh collected in fines for traffic violations in May. A total of 512 driving licences were suspended for serious offences. During May, authorities issued 2,805 learner’s and 1,704 driving licences.Reviewing highway safety works, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said street light repairs at Galudih, Phulpal and Ghatsila have been completed, while other pending works are expected to be finished within 10–15 days.In Ranchi district, transport authorities plan to launch surprise inspections of school buses and vans. DTO Akhilesh Kumar on Tuesday said a week-long enforcement drive is being planned and warned that strict action will be taken against operators violating safety guidelines.“Children’s safety cannot be compromised. Before the summer vacation, we inspected 93 school vehicles in a day-long drive and imposed fines of over Rs 2 lakh for various violations. Similar surprise inspections will continue regularly,” Kumar said.During inspections, officials will check vehicle fitness certificates, permits, insurance, pollution certificates, valid driving licences, first-aid boxes, fire extinguishers and prescribed seating capacity. Authorities will also verify whether school vans have safety grilles or nets on windows, proper school markings and emergency contact details displayed.
