Two-wheelers used by students stand parked outside St Xavier’s in Bokaro. Pix: Pankaj Singh

Dhanbad-Bokaro, April 11: In the twin cities of Dhanbad and Bokaro, children coming to school riding their own motorbikes is part of a growing up ritual. Now it’s a cause for serious concern.

Those below 18 aren’t eligible for a licence to drive a geared two-wheeler licence. But most in these cities are getting theirs by faking age-proofs.

This year, the district transport offices claim to have issued 1,600 two-wheeler licences and even school principals agree that many of their students may have used forged documents to get hold of a licence.

It’s the numbers that have got them worried. According to DTO sources, more than 400 teenagers below 16 had valid two-wheeler licences even though they were underage.

They belonged to some of the most sought-after schools of Dhanbad and Bokaro, namely, St Xavier’s, Delhi Public School (DPS), DAV School, Guru Govind Singh Public School, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Pentacostal School, Holy Cross School, De Nobili, DAV Koylanagar, Dhanbad Public School, among others.

A concerned Father Kurien, St Xavier’s School principal, said they have been telling students not to come to school on two-wheelers. But with parents looking the other way, students were ignoring school rules.

The fault, he maintained, lay with parents and the authorities who were issuing licences without confirming the applicants’ age.

“If we come to know of fake documentation we will take action as dozens of students, including girls, come to our school on motorcycles, scooters and scooties which are parked in the campus area,” Kurien said.

DPS principal Hemlata Mohan echoed his concerns and said she was aware many of her students had two-wheeler licences even though they were under-age.

“This after we banned students from coming to school on motorbikes… Parents should not encourage this at all,” she added.

DTO (Bokaro) Wilson Bhengra sought to save his skin by putting the onus squarely on parents and principals. “The DTO issues licenses after getting documents. How will we know if the date of birth, confirmed by an attached affidavit, is false?”

The minimum age for getting a license for two-wheelers with gears is 18 while for motorbikes without gears it is 16. Though some senior school students could qualify for licences to use a gear-less scooter, the DTO confirms that all the licences issued by it were for motorbikes with gears.

“How can parents give their children money to buy themselves fake documents to get a licence?” asked Bhengra.

But he assured schools that if they provided the DTO with a list of students who were using motorbikes, necessary action would be taken against those who were under-age.