Udupi: Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, said on Wednesday that a committee under Superintendent of Police K. Annamalai would submit a report within a week on the steps to be taken to improve safety of vehicles carrying children to schools.

He was presiding over a meeting of officials of the departments of Education and Transport; drivers of autorickshaws, maxicabs and vans carrying school children; heads of schools; and non-governmental organisations (NGO) at the district offices complex here. The meeting was held in the backdrop of the death of eight schoolchildren in a road accident at Trasi on June 21.

Mr. Madhwaraj said that the committee would include a couple of representatives from the Education and Transport departments, operators of vehicles carrying schoolchildren, school heads and NGOs. The committee would look into the safety aspects, including the number of children to be carried in different vehicles. The safety measures would be decided based on the recommendations of the committee.

Both parents and schools were equally responsible for the safety of the children. It was incumbent on schools to call periodic meetings of parents and sensitise them on safety of transport of their children and impress upon them not to compromise on it just to save money.

“The school’s responsibility of safety begins as soon as the child leaves home for school and then till it returns to the school. Nothing is more valuable than the life of a child,” he said.

Since school buses could not go into the interior areas, it was not possible to do away with autorickshaws, maxicabs and vans. But safety norms for them needed to be enforced in a practical manner.

Both short-term and long-term measures were required. The guidelines of both the Supreme Court and the State government had to be followed.

As there were lots of complaints on overspeeding private buses on the National Highway, there would be intensive police patrolling of NH 66 in Udupi district from July 15 to August 15. The district administration should coordinate with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

This was essential as NHAI officials could be told to take steps to prevent accidents in vulnerable spots, Mr. Madhwaraj said.

Mr. Madhwaraj was angry at the absence of officers of NHAI at the meeting. He directed Deputy Commissioner in-charge Priyanka Mary Francis to issue a notice to the NHAI.

S.B. Surendrappa, Senior Regional Transport Officer, Diwaker Shetty, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, were present.