Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed grief over the tragic demise of four children in a school van fire incident near Longowal in Sangrur district on Saturday, and ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident.
The Chief Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 7.5 lakhs each to the families of the victims, read a statement.
Captain Amarinder Singh also ordered the Transport Department to immediately launch a statewide checking of all school buses to ensure the safety and security of the students to avoid the recurrence of such tragic mishaps in the future.
He also directed the District Child Protection Officers of Social Security Department to keep a strict vigil on school vehicles violating provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and also the school managements.
The accident took place when the school van was on its way to drop the kids of nursery wing of a private school, Longowal at their respective dropping points.
On the directions of the Chief Minister, Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla along with Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori and SSP Sandeep Garg rushed to the spot and the hospital and met the victims' families.
A case under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the school management.
( With inputs from ANI )