School Bus Slapped Rs 2.33 Lakh Penalty In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A school bus in Bhubaneswar was fined Rs 2.33 lakh on charges of flouting motor vehicle (MV) norms on the second day of the week-long special drive by Odisha State Transport Authority (STA) against unfit and unsafe vehicles transporting children to schools, on Thursday.

A special squad of Regional Transport Office-II, Bhubaneswar, seized the bus, which did not have a permit, insurance, or PUC certificate, near Damana Chhak here, sources said.

While a penalty of Rs 2.05 lakh was slapped on bus driver Nilakantha Behera, a resident of Khandagiri area, against non-payment of MV tax, he was fined Rs 10,000 for running without a permit and a similar amount since the bus did not have a PUC certificate.

On Wednesday, a school bus in Koraput imposed a fine of Rs 4 lakh for lacking fitness, plying without a permit and not paying MV tax since April 2018. The fitness of the vehicle engaged for transporting school children had expired on July 31, 2020.

Notably, 235 challans were issued on the first day of the drive to check the safety of buses and other light vehicles engaged in transporting school students in the state. A total of 105 buses, 85 light vehicles/vans and 44 auto-rickshaws were inspected on Wednesday.

While 173 vehicles were found without valid fitness certificates, 85 of them did not have permits, 98 did not have insurance, 51 were detected without PUC certificates, 25 did not pay taxes and 59 drivers did not have a driving licence.

Two buses were also seized in Rourkela.