It’s not the first time that a child has died due to the carelessness of a school van driver in the city. While the tragedies leave people shocked, the authorities do precious little to make sure they are not repeated and children are ferried to school in safety. But the death of four-year-old Mohammad Fazal Noorulla, who was hit by his school bus in front of his house last week, seems to have at last woken them up to the need for some action to ensure the safety of children while being transported to and from schools.
“Every parent wants his child to be picked up in front of his home and doesn’t want to go to the bother of dropping him or her at the pick- up points of BMTC buses hired by schools, although they are a much safer option than vans and tempos. The schools need to keep a check on their vehicles and drivers,” underlines ADGP Praveen Sood, head of the police computing wing.
Come September, and all unsafe vehicles carrying children to school could be off roads in the city as only ‘School Cabs’ will be permitted to run under the watchful eye of the police and transport department, which has amended the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules and Karnataka Taxation Act for the purpose. ll School Cabs ( a term that covers all vehicles carrying school children) will have a cut- off speed of 40 kmph and their drivers will need to have at least five years experience. In addition, the “cabs” will have to carry first-aid kits and fire extinguishers and have grills across their windows to keep the children safe.
Unlike in the past, this time the government claims it will do everything it can to make sure these rules are followed. It remains to be seen how serious it is, however, as it did little to ensure the safety of children after announcing a series of measures close on the heels of a school bus turning turtle on the outskirts of the city near Varthur, last year.
“The new rule came into force on June 16. We have given a month for filing of objections by the public and those providing school transport. Once this is done, we will start cracking down on vehicles transporting children in violation of these rules. There are a number of vans and autorickshaws which dont take enough precautions to keep the children they are carrying safe,” says transport commissioner, Shyam Bhat.
The department hopes the School Cabs concept will catch on by September and there will be no more vehicles unsafe for children operating in the city by the end of that month. But the authorities say they can only do so much and it is upto the parents and schools too to keep the children safe.