School vans found overloading again

LUCKNOW: The school vehicles are not setting their record straight despite the enforcement drive going on. Three days of the checking drive which has been launched in its second phase from Tuesday has brought 23 vehicles to book. On Thursday, the action by Regional Transport Office concentrated around two schools, CMS and LPS in Anandnagar. Five vehicles were seized by RTO officials in the drive.
A Tata Sumo was caught overloaded with 28 schoolchildren. It was operating for LPS, Anandnagar. The vehicle was operating without the required fitness and school permit. Besides, a bus, two vans and a tempo were also found operating against the norms. A van operating for Green Valley Public School was seized for failing the fitness standards.
The other vans and a tempo had put in a bench in between and were overloaded. While 7 vehicles were seized by RTO on Tuesday, 11 were seized on Wednesday. Overloading and unauthorised operation is still a major problem. All kinds of vehicles, buses, vans and tempos are operating as school vehicles without sticking to safety norms. "Today, we showed the principal of LPS how children were stuffed inside a Tata Sumo," said Sanjay Nath Jha, ARTO, enforcement.