Delhi government asks parents not to hire private vans

New Delhi: The Delhi government has directed all schools in the national capital to discourage parents from hiring private vans to ferry their wards, claiming that most of these vehicles operate illegally and pose a threat to the safety of children.

“It is observed that for transportation of school children in Delhi, primarily three modes of transport are being used — vehicles owned by the educational institutions, vehicles hired by the educational institutions, and vehicles hired by parents or guardians themselves,” the Directorate of Education (DoE) said in a letter to the schools.

The government’s directive to schools to sensitise parents to the issue comes after incidents where the lives of students were put in danger by private vehicles owing to non-adherence to the motor vehicle laws.

“The first two modes of transport are easy to monitor and it has been observed these operators follow the norms regarding transportation and safety of school children under the Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules, 1993,” the letter said.

As per the DoE, “A majority of private vehicles hired by parents themselves are observed to be operating illegally without taking adequate safeguards towards the safety of school children, thus jeopardising their lives by using this form of transport.” The DoE observed, “Most of these vehicles are overloaded, piled dangerously, and (are driven) recklessly at great speeds with utter disregard to the traffic rules and regulations.”

“There have been numerous instances of fatal accidents involving these illegal vehicles, wherein young school-going children have lost their lives,” it added. The schools have been asked to sensitise parents during the PTMs and use other interactive forums for the purpose.

“Parents must be asked to make use of safe transport provided by the schools and abstain from sending their children in illegal school vans/cabs, which can prove dangerous or fatal owing to non-adherence to motor vehicles law,” the letter said.

Last year, the government had formed a high-level panel comprising the DoE, transport department and police officials, school principals, and other stake holders to put forward norms to ensure the safety of students in schools and during transportation to and from schools.

The panel was formed in the wake of the murder of a seven-year-old boy in Ryan International School in Gurgaon and the alleged rape of a five-year-old in a school in Shahdara.