THANE: Parents who woke up on Thursday to the news of the Panvel accident said it was eerily similar to an incident that occurred in March 2008, when a bus ferrying 20 students went up in flames. Fortunately, the children were evacuated. Many schools in Thane do not have safe transport arrangements, and they are forced to hire auto rickshaws and tempos. "For on, the Saraswati School in Panchpakhadi does not have a transport service. I have to send my child in an auto rickshaw with ten students,'' said a parent.
Though official records show that the more than 900 school transporters have been booked in June and July this year for violating RTO rules, transporters continue to ply the city roads with impunity, say parents. "In almost all cases, the driver is charged under Section 21 (20) of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Act, which states that a vehicle carrying passengers in excess of the permissible limit will be liable for fine of Rs 100. He should be booked under Section 66(a)/ 192 (a) where the fine ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000," a senior traffic police official told TOI. This section is applicable in situations where a private bus or an auto rickshaw flouts rules. For school buses, it's mandatory to have a first-aid box and a fire extinguisher.
Operators often modify the vehicles and add new fittings, which is why rickshaws rigged with wooden planks behind the seat with four kindergarten tots on them are also a common sight. Regional Transport Commissioner Deepak Kapoor said this happens mainly in two- and three-tier towns. "They overload their vehicles, and do not have proper fitness certificates.''
courtesy
: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
