School vans violate every rule in book

NEW DELHI: Every day after 1pm, thousands of rickety vans

overloaded

with children rush from place to place in different parts of the city. They are increasingly becoming a nuisance, not only because these cabs flout all traffic norms, violate safety measures and have unverified, untrained drivers, but also because they pose a serious risk to students of the sort that a four-year-old faced at the hands of a

predatory driver

on Wednesday.

The sexual assault was not a one-off offence. Not only are such cases being reported with higher frequency, but more accidents are being recorded too. “We have been trying to tell the schools to discourage parents from hiring these vehicles,” disclosed Ajay Kashyap, special commissioner, traffic. “As far as violations are concerned, the transport department has to crack down on the cabs running without proper permissions. We will provide support.”

Another police officer pointed out that with their tall-boy construction, these

Maruti Eeco

or Omni cabs easily flip over while taking a turn if their rears are heavily laden. But such risks are ignored by parents and operators alike. While around 1,000

vans

have permits to ferry students, transport officials agree that more than 5,000 actually operate without fear of anyone pulling them up. Till June 15, just 781

school

vans were booked for violations by the traffic police, while the transport department issued notices to 1,767 drivers.

The cabs are modified to such a dangerous extent that children have to sit on a bench fitted on the CNG cylinders. And often, these cabs run not on CNG, but LPG, a more dangerous option. A transport official also said that instead of the usual 6-8 people they can carry, the school vans pack in up to 16 school students, overloading the vehicles in order to maximise profits without a thought to the dangers this creates for the young passengers.

Though the Supreme Court itself has laid down stringent guidelines for school vehicles, they are rarely followed on ground. Most vans are crammed with students and driven by people who don't sometimes even hold valid driving licences. The cab operators argue that the authorisation process is time consuming and the queue of applicants seeking permission to run cabs is always long.

Delhi government has also mandated educational institutes to keep a check on illegal cabs. A police officer confirmed that most school vans are private vehicles that are illegally being used for commercial purposes. “Vehicles operating as school vans are supposed to be first registered with the transport department and then get a permit as a contract carriage,” the officer pointed out. He added, “During our recent drive, most of the vehicles prosecuted for violations were either not registered or didn’t have fitness certificates.”

Incredibly, because the driver is not verified, anyone wearing a semblance of a uniform can sit behind the steering wheel. Transport officials admitted that these violations occur despite the courts directing the vigorous enforcement of norms under the Motor Vehicles Act and the government’s decade-old school-cab policy.

Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.