India, May 9 -- In a meeting held by transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Thursday regarding the operations of school buses, it was revealed that 50,000 to 60,000 unauthorised school buses were plying in Maharashtra. Sarnaik gave the bus owners a three-month deadline to register themselves with the authorities, and warned that if any illegal school bus was found after this period, action would be taken against the transport department officers in that area.

The meeting was attended by transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, school bus operators and representatives of parents' associations. The issue of student safety was discussed, and suggestions and objections were invited for amendments in the 2011 regulations related to school buses....