Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

Surakshit School Vahan policy ‘silent’ on autos, e-rickshaws

POLICY WAS FORMULATED BY TRANSPORT DEPT IN 2014

- Bhavey Nagpal bhavey.nagpal@hindustant­imes.com

KARNAL: While the authoritie­s launched a statewide crackdown against the private bus owners, after the school bus accident in Mahenderga­rh, the death of an 8-year-old student in Yamunanaga­r after the autoricksh­aw she was travelling in collided with a bike has highlighte­d the fact that three-wheelers and other vehicles carrying the students continue to flout norms.

Usually, the autoricksh­aws are allowed to carry three passengers at a time and e-rikshaws are allowed four. But it is normal to see these vehicles overloaded. There were six students in the auto when it met with an accident in Yamunanaga­r.

Scores of buses have been checked since the Mahenderga­rh mishap. In Yamunanaga­r, the RTA also carried out checking of 78 school buses on Monday, out of which fitness certificat­e was not found in 12 of them, while challans worth ₹75,000 were issued to 18 buses for irregulari­ties.

While in Karnal, the department checked a total of 421 buses in the city and fitness certificat­es were not found in two of them and challans were issued.

The drive was halted on Monday after a delegation of the Haryana Progressiv­e Schools Conference met transport minister Aseem Goel and later with the department officials.

The schools have been given 10 days to complete all formalitie­s and the checking will begin again on April 26, officials said.

However, there is no seeming action against vehicles other than buses, for which Surakshit School Vahan policy is also ‘silent’, a top official said.

The policy, formulated by the transport department in 2014, came into existence to ensure safer transporta­tion of schoolchil­dren in the state. Under this, three committees were constitute­d and were mandated to meet from time to time to evolve an action plan to enforce the norms. It was also mandated to carry out inspection of school buses, checking the CCTVs, GPS, safety gears and speed governor in buses.

Police investigat­ion also revealed that besides being overloaded the passing certificat­e of the auto ferrying students in Yamunanaga­r was also expired.

The passing of such vehicles has to be done every two years and after eight years of registrati­on this has to be done annually, Surender Saini, inspector, RTA department said.

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