Chandigarh: As per STA data between January 2023 to March 2024, there have been 1,008 challans issued to autos apart from 81 autos were impounded for violations of the Safe Transportation Policy by the UT transport department which issued an advisory to schools in the wake of the recent Mahendergarh school bus accident at Kanina, which claimed the life of six students and injured about 20 others in this mishap. It has come to light that the autos are the biggest rule breakers as compared to buses and maxi-cabs. Schoolchildren on their way to school or returning home are seen in crowded auto-rickshaws, which are not allowed to carry over four kids as per the High Court guidelines. As per the Road Safety in Chandigarh 2022 report, five fatalities and 13 minor injuries were reported in autos, whereas in the case of buses, one fatality and one case with minor injury were reported throughout the year. In a meeting held recently by the UT education department and traffic police with all school principals of the city, the specifications of both buses and autos were discussed, according to which 17th school autos must carry a contract carriage permit issued by the STA. As per the Punjab and Haryana high court’s order 17th January, 2020, school autos are not allowed to carry more than four children in case the age of children is below 12 years. Autos must also be fitted with horizontal grills,bars, gates on both sides for the safety of children.
In the meeting held by the school management and the parents, whether the buses are owned by the school or by independent contractors, schools must check the quality of the buses and the manpower handling the buses. All schools having a parking area inside the boundary wall shall ensure that children are dropped inside the school. School management shall control and man the traffic through their own manpower and shall also appoint one of its faculty as transport manager. President of the Chandigarh Parents Association Nitin Goyal said, the schools charge inflated transport fees from parents and why is this fee collected, if schools will make excuses that they don’t own the buses, and if any discrepancies come up the schools should also be penalised if any of their buses are found lacking security measures. After the UT state transport authority issued an advisory to schools in the wake of the Mahendergarh school bus accident, which claimed the life of six innocent students, it has come to light that the autos are the biggest rule breakers as compared to buses and maxi-cabs.
On a public litigation writ moved in Punjab and Haryana High Court by Ravinder Kataria a resident of Ludhiana after the mishap at Kanina in Mohindergarh district on 11th April, in which six school children had lost lives and the driver of the bus was found under the influence of liquor, a notice has been issued for hearing in the case in the court of Bench of Chief Justice G.S. Sanghwalia and Justice Lapita Banerjee in which it was made clear that the vehicle causing the accident was not having fitness measures required by the school bus while carrying the children to the school. However, the school director, female principal and the driver of the bus who was under the influence of liquor at the time of mishap were arrested by the police. It was alleged that the government administration in the state was not taking proper measures to check school vehicles as specified which caused mishap claiming the lives of six innocent children. According to the complainant, more than 80% school vehicles plying on roads carrying children fail to meet specified measures, are usually overcrowded, do not have required security measures and fitness certificates, no female attendant, no camera or fire fighting system installed in the bus , moving without having insurance coverage and demanded suitable compensation for the families lost their children, besides action against those officials responsible for the neglects in duties.
