Bengaluru Traffic Police find 36 school van drivers drunk; parents raise safety concerns
Bengaluru: A special drive conducted by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) to check school van drivers for alcohol consumption has revealed that 36 drivers tested positive, sparking serious concerns among parents and school authorities.
According to a report by The New Indian Express published on Sunday, the inspection held on October 24 covered 5,881 school vans across the city.
Menaka Reddy, Coordinator of the Parents Association Bengaluru East Corridor, said nine of the drivers who tested positive worked for schools in Bellandur and Domlur.
“We are working with the traffic department to ensure school managements conduct routine checks and counsel drivers regularly,” TNIE quoted her as saying.
Parent groups and schools have reaffirmed a zero-tolerance policy towards rash driving and alcohol use among drivers. One private school in the city said it strictly monitors drivers before every trip and dismisses anyone found under the influence of alcohol, adding that it maintains extra vigilance after long weekends or holidays.
N. Yogananda, General Secretary of the RTE Students and Parents Association, alleged that mandatory police verification of school staff, as required under a 2015 order, is often overlooked. He highlighted that if these instructions had been followed strictly, such incidents could have been avoided.
DCP (Traffic-East) Anup Shetty confirmed that notices have been issued to school authorities whose drivers tested positive. “The Regional Transport Office (RTO) has also been asked to suspend the licences of those drivers. “If a driver is found drunk, we inform the school to arrange an alternative, or we do so ourselves to ensure children reach safely,” TNIE quoted Shetty as saying.
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NCB busts secret drug lab in Karnataka's Mysuru; four held
New Delhi (PTI): The Narcotics Control Bureau has busted a secret drug manufacturing laboratory in Karnataka's Mysuru and arrested four people from Rajasthan after seizing narcotics worth Rs 10 crore, the agency said on Friday.
This crackdown began on January 28 in Gujarat's Surat, where federal officials intercepted a SUV in the Palsana area. The vehicle was found carrying about 35 kg of Mephedrone.
Followingthe seizure, the Narcotcis Control Bureau (NCB) arrested the alleged mastermind of this trafficking racket named Mahindra Kumar Vishnoi and three others. All four suspects are residents of Rajasthan's Jalore district.
The investigation led to officials to a "clandestine" drugs manufacturing laboratory located in Hebbal industrial area of Mysuru.
The laboratory was being operated under the guise of a chemical manufacturing unit for cleaning purposes. The facility had been rented by a co-accused and relative of Vishnoi, the NCB said in a statement.
"Drugs worth Rs 10 crore (market value), Rs 25.6 lakh in cash, an SUV and 500 kgs of chemicals used in the manufacturing of drugs have been seized during the operation," it said, adding that the lab is understood to be established in 2024.
According to the NCB, Vishnoi is a "habitual offender" who "conceived" the idea of manufacturing synthetic drugs in secret labs while he was incarcerated in a drugs trafficking case. He has three drug-related cases registered against him in Rajasthan and one in Gujarat, the NCB added.
