Overloading of vehicles dropping off schoolchildren raises concern among parents
As schools reopened on Monday, the sight of private autorickshaws and vans overloaded with children have become a common sight on the already congested roads. This has caused concern among parents.
'Neither the school authorities nor drivers seem to want to take responsibility for the safety of the children. In the event of an accident, who will be to blame?' asked Vidya Rajkumar, a child rights activist and a parent herself. According to a State Government Order, an autorickshaw can only carry a maximum of five children up to the age of 14 or three adult passengers, excluding the driver.
R. Anushka, a Class 8 student at a private school, recounted the time when there were six children, including her, in an autorickshaw. 'One of them was seated beside the driver, which is dangerous,' she added.
In 2024, the School Education Department issued guidelines for school buses run by private schools, which included the mandatory appointment of female assistants, employment of drivers with a minimum experience of 10 years and no police cases against them, and installation of GPS and closed-circuit television cameras in the vehicles. The schools had to upload the details of the vehicles, drivers, and assistants on the Education Management Information System (EMIS) portal.
Background checks
Principals of schools in the city said the parents had a responsibility to thoroughly vet the drivers and their vehicles before they hire them. 'We have advised the parents to check the drivers' background and inspect the vehicles before availing themselves of the services,' said N. Vijayan, correspondent of Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School, in Tambaram.
'There has been no checking of these vehicles. As a working parent, we do vet the drivers, but it has become common practice for them to pack as many children as they can into their vehicles,' said K. Rupa, the parent of a 13-year-old.
S. Arumainathan, president, Tamil Nadu Students Parents Welfare Association, said the School Education Department should issue a circular to the other departments and schools regarding the issue. 'But the traffic police and Transport Department should also come forward and take action to curtail the issue,' he said.
A senior official of the Greater Chennai Traffic Police said no complaints regarding the problem had been received. 'When complaints are filed, action can be taken, and a special drive will be conducted to crack down on such practices,' the official added.
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