School children safety compromised. Despite the ban, autos, vans and cars ferry excess children. Police have booked over 5,000 cases last year The police will note the vehicle number, issue notices and impose penalty. Parents must also be careful and check the safety aspects in vehicle.
It been 8 days since school reopened, but 448 school vehicles were found carrying excess students. Despite incidents of injuries and deaths in the past involving school cabs, the autos, vans and other vehicles ferry your children and continue to cattle them in the vehicles.
Khasim Raja, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Traffic and Planning, said, these autos, vans and cars carrying children more than the seating capacity is very danger and to discipline them, a special drive was conducted from day one of the school reopening and we found over 400 vehicles violating the rules. “If we tackle them and impose heavy penalty, they will stop taking excess children to school,” he said.
For instance, an auto designed to carry maximum 8 children but the drivers load more children due to profit. If the children are sent to school from the institutions own bus, it will cost more and hence the parents stick to local autos and vans who are little cheap. Opined a senior traffic police.
Despite several warning and fines, the school vans refuse to comply with rules. Last year also the department registered 5,177 cases. This year, department has cracked a whip of such vehicles in first eight days of school.
CP Narayanswamy, additional commissioner transport department raised serious objections for such a blatant safety compromise by these vehicles “The traffic department may spare few autos on compassion grounds as children from middle class and poor section will be traveling in the particular vehicle may miss classes. Hence such vehicles number should be noted and later refer for suspension of lisence. if the do not fall in line,".
According to Supreme Court guidelines, no such vehicle shall carry children in excess of its permitted seating capacity. The vehicle must have first aid box and drinking water bottles in the vehicle. Vehicles should also have seat belts. School name and telephone number the vehicle must move in 40 kmph limit speed. There should be an attender in the vehicle appointed by school. Similarly the school details and contact details should be included in the vehicle.
"These guidelines are largely followed in vehicles provided by school authorities but the small autos, vans and cars are the which ferries more number of students. Parents are poor and in few case they ignore these safety aspects and just pay less amount and pack their children in these vehicles which could prove fatal," said Vasudev Sharma, Executive Trustee, Child Rights Trust.
