Traffic police stop 40 vans and autos ferrying kids to school; children made to sweat it out on the roads

Many schoolchildren in the city were literally made to sweat it out on the roads on Tuesday, when they found themselves caught between a zealous traffic police department and the private vans and auto-rickshaw owners who ferry them to school in overloaded vehicles.

The city’s traffic police launched a campaign on Tuesday against vans and auto-rickshaws that were found carrying more than the stipulated 14 and 6 schoolchildren, respectively. As many as 40 school vans and auto-rickshaws ferrying children to school were stopped at Commerce six-roads and Darpan six-roads at 7 am. The vehicles were not released till 5 pm.

The children were asked to vacate the vehicles and wait by the roadside while their drivers made alternate arrangements to take them to school. In most cases, the drivers flagged down other auto-rickshaws to send the children to school.

The vehicles that were stopped and vacated by the traffic police at Commerce six-roads and Darpan six-roads happened to be carrying the students of St Xavier’s Loyola School, St Kabir and Maharaja Agrasen.

When asked about the sudden drive by the traffic department, DCP (traffic) MM Anarwala said that the campaign had been launched to ensure the safety of children being ferried to school. “Around 25 people die in road accidents in the city each month and, of these, 2-3 are children,” Anarwala said. “We want to ensure that children do not become the victims of overloading.”

Ritesh Shah/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication