A school pool van crammed with 12 children toppled sideways on Kharangajhar Main Road in Jamshedpur early on Monday morning, the menace of vehicles overloaded with students coming back to haunt parents and the administration.
Though the children of Telco-based CBSE school Shiksha Niketan escaped unhurt, only two among them suffering bruises, the mishap has jolted everyone from East Singhbhum SSP Anoop T. Mathew to district transport officer Ravi Ranjan Vikram to crack down on overloaded school pool vehicles.
The Maruti Omni van, which was taking 12 children, can under norms seat eight. Not just overloaded, the vehicle was also speeding when it lost control during a sharp turn around 6.20am. The driver, who unconfirmed sources said was underage, wriggled his way out of an angry crowd and fled.
Worryingly, the incident underscored again how pool vehicle owners or drivers routinely flouted the East Singhbhum district administration's July 2015 order that fixed the number of schoolchildren to be transported on different vehicles. According to the order, four children aged under 12 or three over 12 could be seated in a petrol-run small auto, eight under 12 and seven over 12 in a van, and 18 under 12 and 13 over 12 in the biggest SUV.
"We have to start a drive against overloading that puts lives of children at risk," DTO Vikram said. "I will request traffic police to cooperate on this and DSP traffic to organise frequent checks near schools."
"We are ready to provide forces to district transport officials whenever they plan to conduct drives against overloaded school vans and those violating norms, but schools should start bus services," SSP Mathew said.
Shishu Niketan principal Sanjay Kumar Singh said it was their good fortune that no child was seriously injured. "The two children from Classes II and III, who sustained bruises, were released after first aid," he said, adding that parents of all 12 children were asked to take them home. "If a child faces pain, the school will bear treatment cost," he said.
But, city parents' outfit blamed the school management and district administration.
"After every accident like this and their media reports, the administration wakes up to launch a drive against pool autos and vans but soon falls asleep. So why will drivers and owners of vehicles fear anyone? Also, the management of many schools are reluctant to provide buses, which forces parents to hire autos and vans for their children's daily transport," said Jamshedpur Abhibhavak Sangh president Umesh Kumar.
Parents were also at fault, said a bystander who refused to come on record. "Overloading means less charge per child, so many parents are fine with it. Many ask drivers to speed to school fearing their children would get late otherwise," he said.
OC of Telco thana Jayant Tirkey confirmed no parent had so far lodged a complaint.
Who is to blame for overloaded school pool vehicles?
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