Schoolchildren travelling home in buses were left stranded in the scorching heat as Transport Department officials and policemen stopped vehicles for inspection and document checking in Patiala on Monday afternoon.Several children were seen sweating inside parked buses, while some reportedly begged passers-by for water as officials checked documents of drivers and school vehicles near Fountain Chowk here. A Class III student said from inside a bus, “Uncle, please give me some water. My water bottle is empty and I am feeling suffocated inside the bus. The police have taken away the driver uncle for checking and questioning.” A commuter later handed the child a water bottle.Another girl student said, “I want to use the washroom and the bus has been standing here for the past 15 minutes. It’s so hot and policemen are not allowing our bus to go.” Drivers alleged that buses carrying children were stopped for prolonged checking despite the prevailing heatwave conditions. “The RTA and policemen stopped our vehicles in the name of checking even as schoolchildren were returning home in this summer heat,” said a bus driver and his assistant.The naka was later lifted following the intervention of Patiala Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, after which the buses were allowed to leave. “I have briefed the RTA and will look into the matter. We will ensure schoolchildren are not harassed on the pretext of nakas from today onwards,” he said.Regional Transport Officer Dr Poonam Preet Kaur said a special enforcement drive under the Safe School Vahan Policy was conducted to check compliance with mandatory safety norms in school buses, taxis, auto-rickshaw vans and other vehicles transporting children.She said, “Ten challans were issued. The vehicles were freed instantly and the violators were given time to deposit challan amount later in the office so that children could go home without delay.”She said strict action was taken against violators and claimed that no school vehicle was stopped for an unnecessarily long duration. She said notices would be issued to erring schools to ensure compliance with the Safe School Vahan Policy.A senior minister and an IAS officer said the matter would be taken up with the Chief Secretary to ensure that inspection of school buses was not conducted after school hours when children were returning home.