After a nudge by STA three months ago, education dept to issue notices to schools

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However, asked about the inordinate delay, Director Public Instructions (Schools) Kamlesh Kumar said that the department would be issuing notices to schools on Friday (August 7). He said that all the 110 government schools and 82 private schools would be issued notices asking the parents not to send their children in auto-rickshaws which do not have proper gates and grills on both sides, and the ones which ferry over five children. Besides buses, the schools will have to keep a record of the private auto-rickshaws ferrying their schoolchildren, he added.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Pawan Kumar said that in the past two months as many as 3,486 challans had been issued to the auto-rickshaws and 167 had been impounded while a total of 396 school buses had been challaned and three of them impounded. “We are challaning the auto-rickshaws on a regular basis and there are special nakas being conducted during the school hours to check violations,” Kumar said.

The letter, which was issued to the Education Department, had read, “Despite issuance of public notices for making the parents aware regarding not using the auto-rickshaws as a mode of transport for their school-going children, it has been found that still a large number of schoolchildren are coming to schools in auto-rickshaws and unauthorised vans. This can endanger their lives as these autos and unauthorised vans are carrying these children in over capacity.”

The department was requested to issue instructions for all the principals/heads of various government and private schools to inform the parents of their respective school students not to use any such autos/unauthorised vans as a mode of transportation for sending their wards to schools.

The STA had written in their letter that directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court should be complied with in letter and spirit.

Additional secretary (STA) Rajiv Tiwari said, “We have also been taking adequate steps to stop violations by the auto-rickshaws and unauthorised vans but challaning them is not the only solution. The Education Department and the Chandigarh Traffic Police needs to cooperate with us and help us look for better solutions for the safety of children.”