Tension gripped parents of several thousand school students across the state when the vans operated by private operators did not turn up Tuesday morning to pick up their kids.
Concerned parents rushed them to schools by any available mode of transport. The private van operators resorted to a flash strike condemning the stringent action by the authorities in the aftermath of Tambaram school bus incident that claimed a six-year-old girl’s life. The vans will, however, ply from Wednesday as the officials assured to consider their demands.
“I realised that the van was not coming after having waited for more than half-an-hour,” said Ms S. Sudha of Perambur, parent of a class 2 student of a school in Purasawalkam.
She rushed her kid by an autorickshaw and brought her back by MTC bus in the evening.
Ayanavaram resident Prabhakaran took leave from work to drop his daughter at a school in Korattur and bring her back.
The strike was withdrawn after talks with transport commissioner Prabhakara Rao. “The vans will operate from Wednesday as the authorities have assured to consider our five demands including allowing more students,” Mr Benjamin, general secretary, state school van operators association, told DC.