Nagpur: Nearly eight months after a fatal school transport accident claimed the lives of a driver and a schoolgirl in Mankapur, state govt on Thursday suspended Nagpur city regional transport officer (RTO) Kiran Bidkar, holding him responsible for “serious negligence, dereliction of duty and administrative failure”. The suspension order states that the accident involving school van and school bus took place on Sept 12, 2025, when Bidkar was serving as head of Nagpur city RTO office. Investigations later revealed that the school van was operating without valid fitness certificate — a glaring violation the govt says should have been detected and prevented by the transport department.The govt order states that Bidkar failed in his responsibility as office head and that his conduct amounted to violation of Maharashtra Civil Services Conduct Rules. Disciplinary proceedings under Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979, have now been initiated against him.Action comes amid mounting criticism over weak enforcement against unsafe school transport vehicles across Maharashtra. Despite repeated drives after multiple accidents, unauthorised and unfit school vans continue to operate brazenly, exposing thousands of students to risk daily.The suspension order directs that Bidkar’s headquarters during the suspension period will remain transport commissioner’s office in Mumbai, and he cannot leave headquarters without prior permission. He will receive subsistence allowance per rules, but govt has also barred him from accepting private employment or engaging in business activities during suspension.Officials admitted in private that the suspension sends a message within the transport department. “This is not just about one accident. It reflects systemic failures in enforcement, inspections and monitoring of school vehicles,” said a senior official.Bidkar’s suspension was announced by the govt during winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur in Dec last year. “Children died because an unfit vehicle was allowed on roads. Accountability should have been fixed immediately,” said an activist working on school transport safety.The suspension has once again exposed the fragile enforcement ecosystem surrounding school transport — where rules exist on paper, but monitoring often collapses until tragedy strikes.
