Driving tomorrow8217;s Citizens

Seating Limit:Rohan,'' the little voices yelled as his mother hurried out with him. He clambered into the contraption, also known as an au...

Seating Limit:
8220;Rohan,8221; the little voices yelled as his mother hurried out with him. He clambered into the contraption, also known as an auto-rickshaw. The rickety auto, with tiny legs sticking out from all sides, rattled off with children packed into the auto like sardines8230;Most parents are aware that the RTO in Ahmedabad allows a seating limit of 10 children below 12 years. But they send their children by auto even if it is booked to capacity or beyond.

Caring and Responsible:
Parents feel that most drivers are responsible, cooperative and caring. Most children like their auto drivers, some of whom even treat them to sweets occasionally. There have been no known cases of a child having been left behind or forgotten8217; at school, or, in case of a breakdown, not having been transported home. Most people interviewed pointed out that they had never heard of or witnessed a school auto accident.

Ashoka Ghosh, a concerned parent, however, recalled the case of Samrat Roy, a four-year-old child who fell out of a speeding school auto. The driver was going so fast that he did not even realise that the child had fallen out, until the other children shouted and stopped him. The child was critical for 72 hours8230;Most school rickshaws now have a left- and right-hand-side grill, as well as a rear one as specified by the RTO.

Whose responsibility is it anyway?
Surprisingly, very few parents are aware of the auto drivers8217; address and other details. While parents feel that the school should collect such information, school principals disagree in view of the magnitude of the task. Most parents suggested that school rickshaw-drivers carry visiting cards with details of their contact information, as well as auto and licence numbers. Some suggested that school autos be painted yellow to facilitate easy identification and that the school name, address and phone number be displayed on the auto. Others proposed that the extra seats also be well upholstered, and instead of hooks, there should be a carrier on top of the auto for school bags.

Auto drivers8217; concerns:
The major grievance of the drivers is traffic congestion, and bribing the traffic police on their route. Says Mehboob Mansoori, an auto driver, 8220;Arre har ek point pe dena padta hai.8221; Yet another issue that remains to be resolved is the RTO ruling that the auto driver must take third party insurance for all the 10 children, whereas insurance companies were granting insurance for only six children.