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| Auto rickshaws for school buses- risking precious lives | | | 
Abodh Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 1: Over loaded auto rickshaws ferrying school children with tens of school bags and water bottles hanging from here and there are a common sight on city roads, which have seldom raised eyebrows, but practice is not only a blatant traffic violation, but a direct invitation to what can be tragic accident endangering innocent lives.
Day in and day out, hundreds of auto rickshaws in the city carry school children to schools and back, loaded in tens, most of them standing all through the routes, falling over each other at every turn or speed breaker. To make things worse still, drivers of these auto rickshaws seat children on either side on the driving seat, which totally obstructs their crucial split vision while driving. Satchels and water bottles hanging out in dozens do the rest.
It is a pity that parents themselves pack their children in these high risk auto rickshaws, which are in no way designed to ensure safety to young children. "There is no alternative" exclaimed N K Pawar, a resident of Paloura, who had come to see off his four year old daughter who studied in Presentation Convent. "There are no school buses at this route and parents have done their own arrangements" he added agreeing that auto rickshaws were dicey.
Apex Court has laid specific guidelines for the buses carrying school children. These guidelines, which are aimed at ensuring security to children traveling to schools and back everyday, read- "School Bus" must be written on the back and front of the Bus. If it is a hired bus, "On School Duty" should be clearly indicated. Bus must have a First-Aid-Box. The windows of Bus must be fitted with horizontal grills. There must be a Fire Extinguisher in the Bus. School Name and Telephone No. must be written on the Bus.
The doors of the Bus should be fitted with reliable locks. To keep School Bags safely, there should be a space fitted under the seats. There must be an Attendant from the School in the Bus. Any parent, guardian or a teacher may also travel to ensure these safety norms.
While so many guidelines have been laid by the Apex Court to ensure safety of the children, our traffic police, which lets nothing go unnoticed, turns a blind eye to such a gross violation. "Why challan a vehicle carrying school children?" asked a traffic sector officer posted at Bakshinagar with benevolence written large on his face, unmindful of the consequences of such largesse. However, it is for the Government to take cognizance of this dicey violation and bring about a piece of legislation banning auto rickshaws from being used as school buses. "We do not have any reason to challan them in the absence of an act. However, we challan them for not supporting a meter or for overloading" said a senior traffic Police officer. |
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