Ranchi, April 7: Jharkhand Education Tribunal today directed deputy commissioners to ensure strict compliance of its fresh set of regulations regarding school buses.

While JET had earlier directed schools to ensure that there is no ?overloading?, which has already resulted in a steep rise in the monthly bus fare collected by schools, the fresh guidelines issued today are far more elaborate.

It will take time for the guidelines to reach the schools but the initial reaction of most principals is that it would make it even more difficult for schools to maintain bus services. Some principals also felt that the state should follow the example of New Delhi and instruct schools to enroll students residing within a radius of five kilometres of the school. Students can then walk or cycle to school, they said.

Today?s guidelines call for baggage space below the seats to replace overhead racks. They also make it mandatory for teachers to escort the students. Besides, school buses would have to keep first-aid boxes and fire-extinguishers from now onwards. The guidelines are applicable to both government-run institutions as well as private educational institutions and universities.

The guidelines follow a circular sent by the Union HRD secretary, Sudip Banerjee, to the chief secretaries. The chief secretary forwarded the circular to JET, which today formally sent the direction to the districts, confirmed the tribunal?s chairperson, retired justice L.P.P. N Shahdeo. The circular was accompanied by a Supreme Court ruling.

The deputy commissioners have been directed to get the provisions implemented, monitor and report compliance to JET, which, in turn, will communicate it to the Union HRD ministry.

Parents immediately welcomed the instruction that schoolbuses should have a teacher to escort students. Some of them recalled the five- year-old incident in the state capital when a school-going girl was molested by the driver. The chairman also confirmed that JET planned to conduct inspections to ensure that the guidelines are followed in letter and spirit.

While the principal of DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali, D.R. Singh, welcomed the guidelines, others were lukewarm in their response. He claimed that buses of his school already follow many of the guidelines. ?They do not yet keep fire-extinguishers; but they will do so if there is a direction to this effect,? he added.

He, however, conceded that the bus fees have gone up by 50 per cent after the earlier guideline issued by JET. ?Earlier, we had 12 buses, each of them carrying 90 students; but we have been forced to hire six more,? he informed.

A principal, reluctant to be quoted, pointed out that several schools have already stopped bus service for senior students. He also pointed out that while the Motor Vehicle Rules allow up to 64 passengers in buses with 52 seats, the rule is applicable to adults. It would not be viable, he claimed, to maintain the service with just 52 students.