Nagpur: Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Thursday informed the Legislative Assembly that Nagpur City Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kiran Bidkar has been suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the Mankapur accident that claimed the life of a schoolgirl.
Responding to a call attention motion moved by Dr. Nitin Raut, Sarnaik said the RTO failed to act on a notice issued to the school bus owner over the non-renewal of the vehicle’s fitness certificate. Dr. Raut pointed out that nearly 10 percent of the 3,883 school buses operating in Nagpur are running without valid fitness certificates, prompting the Minister to order inquiries into the functioning of RTO (Rural) and RTO (East) as well.
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The fatal accident occurred in September 2025 when a speeding school bus rammed into a van carrying students. Subsequent inquiry revealed the bus was operating without a renewed fitness certificate, an instance of gross negligence by the RTO in enforcing statutory norms.
Sarnaik informed the House that the three RTO divisions, City, Rural and East, are conducting continuous checks on vehicles lacking valid fitness certification. So far, 248 offences have been registered, and fines amounting to Rs 83.06 lakh have been collected.
When Dr. Raut demanded accountability, Sarnaik asserted, “The concerned RTO is being suspended for failing to ensure that school buses do not ply without valid fitness certificates. He should have followed up on the notice issued to the bus owner.”
BJP MLAs Sudhir Mungantiwar and Pravin Datke also pushed for stern action to send a strong message to the bureaucracy.
