School van owners to go on indefinite strike from today

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, September 26

Continuing its campaign against illegal school vans plying in Amritsar, district transport officer Lovejit Kalsi today impounded four more vans belonging to a private school in Vaniyeke village in Ramdass here today.

She said the buses were worn out and did not conform to the rules and regulations under the Safe School Vahan policy. She said she had decided to hold nakas in the rural belt of the district where a number of private schools were running and the school transport vehicles were flouting the stipulated norms.

Meanwhile, the investigations carried out by the police in the tragic incident find that the “negligent” attitude of the owner of the school transport, Tarsem Singh, was the prime reason behind the incident.

SSP Harkamal Preet Singh said the drivers of the vans had complained a number of times about the worn- out vehicles, which were not fit for plying on the roads. However, the owner continued to use the vans for transporting the children. He was still missing and raids were being conducted to arrest him.

Meanwhile, the parents were a harassed lot when the School Vans Association remained off the roads in the city. The parents were seen taking their wards to school while many schools recorded low attendance. They were irked over the adamant and irresponsible attitude of the school transports owners who were indulging in “blackmailing” tactics.

The association has decided to go on indefinite strike from tomorrow. They are likely to hold a dharna in protest against the impounding of their vehicles by the District Transport Department and issuing of challans by the traffic police. Ram Sharan Pal, the president of the association, alleged that the administration was harassing the school van owners under the garb of a recent tragic incident. He said the association shared the grief of the families of the children who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. However, he added that it was not a wise step to harass other school van drivers.

The district administration has been on their toes in the aftermath of the tragic incident which claimed the lives of seven children after a school bus fell in the defence drain in Mahawa village. The police have arrested the driver of the van, identified as Satnam Singh. He was brought to the Civil Hospital for a medical examination. The SSP said his blood samples were taken to ascertain whether he was a habitual drunkard or an addict.