Archive · 5 Aug 2026
West Bengal minister asks schools to scrap over-15-year-old unfit vehicles
A government official named Arjun Singh is in charge of transport in West Bengal, a state in India.
He spoke to reporters in a town called Darjeeling.
He told all schools that they must stop using vehicles that are more than 15 years old.
He said cars and buses that are very old and do not have paper certificates showing they are safe cannot be driven on the roads.
This rule applies even to private drivers who take children to school.
Schools also have to keep checking that their buses are safe to use.
The reason is that three school children died last year when the car carrying them lost control and fell into a pool.
The accident happened in a place called Bahira in the Uluberia area.
The minister also complained that the previous government did not do enough to fix this problem.
West Bengal Transport Minister Arjun Singh has asked all school authorities to discard vehicles older than 15 years that are unfit to ferry children.
The transport department has directed district magistrates to prevent vehicles older than 15 years without valid fitness certificates from plying.
Singh made the announcement at Circuit House in Darjeeling during a visit to the hills in north Bengal on Tuesday.
Schools must ensure no unfit vehicle is used even by private operators to ferry students, and buses must undergo regular fitness checks.
The move follows the deaths of three school children whose pool car plunged into a pool at Bahira in Uluberia, Howrah district, on November 24 last year.
- Who
- West Bengal Transport Minister Arjun Singh, addressing school authorities and district magistrates
- What
- Ordered that over-15-year-old unfit vehicles carrying children be discarded and barred from roads without fitness certificates
- When
- Tuesday, during a visit to the hills in north Bengal (reported on August 5)
- Where
- Circuit House in Darjeeling; the directive applies across West Bengal
- Why
- Safety concerns after three school children died when a pool car plunged into a pool at Bahira in Uluberia, Howrah district, on November 24 last year
- Minister
- Arjun Singh, West Bengal Transport Minister (assumed office in May this year)
- Directive
- All schools must discard and stop using vehicles older than 15 years without fitness certificates
- Scope
- Applies to school-owned vehicles and those operated by private operators ferrying school children
- Announcement location
- Circuit House, Darjeeling, north Bengal
- Action for district magistrates
- Prevent plying of vehicles older than 15 years without proper fitness certificates
- Trigger incident
- Three school children killed when a pool car plunged into a pool at Bahira, Uluberia, Howrah district
- Incident date
- November 24 last year
