Residents raise questions over safety of students

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, August 20

The recent mishap involving an auto-rickshaw and a car in which a nine-year-old girl, Sakshi, the daughter of Neetu Shuttran Wala, died has again raised questions over road safety and security of students travelling in auto-rickshaws and other private vehicles.

Buses and auto-rickshaws ferrying students are a common sight in the city and often these vehicles are found flouting road safety norms in the absence of proper inspection. Many school bus and auto-rickshaw drivers could be seen indulging in overspeeding and rash driving. In most of the cases, the drivers do not even possess driving licence, but thanks to the administration and the traffic police who have miserably failed to check the perennial problem of road accidents and allow such vehicles to ply freely.

Talking to The Tribune, Neetu, father of Sakshi, claimed that it was the sheer negligence of the authorities concerned who have failed to check road safety rules due to which accidents involving auto-rickshaws and buses were on the rise. He said the car driver, the auto-rickshaw driver, the administration and the Municipal Corporation were equally responsible for the death of his daughter as the auto-rickshaw was hit by the manhole cover, after which Sakshi fell off it and a passing car hit her badly.

He said: “We need to have stringent laws with punishment, including jail terms for the guilty, in place. On a routine basis, school buses and auto-rickshaws should be checked to ensure the safety of students.”

Neetu also alleged that he had got registered a case against the person who was driving the car and the auto-rickshaw driver, but the police have failed to take any action and released them last evening itself on bail.

Meanwhile, the whole incident has been captured on CCTV cameras that were installed near the accident spot. The footage has already gone viral on the social media and several residents have criticised the administration over the poor road safety and lack of management in the city.

Pooja Awasthi, a resident of Punjabi Bagh, here, said: “It is shocking that every other day we get to see videos in which innocent students lost their lives on roads due to carelessness of other commuters. In the footage, I have seen how the girl fell off the auto and hit by the car.”

She said if s steel rod was installed in the auto, the mishap could have been averted. We should implement a zero-tolerance policy for irresponsible driving, especially in case of school vehicles whether auto-rickshaws or buses, she said, adding that children should not be put at risk due to unsafe driving, ill-maintained vehicle, or poor roads.

“It should be made mandatory for the drivers to undertake a refresher training course and orientation programme conducted by the traffic police before driving on public roads,” Pooja said.

Ashwani Kumar, Additional DCP (Traffic), said strict action would be taken against all drivers who were violating the guidelines and not ensuring the safety of students as well pedestrians while driving.

He said school managements would be taken in loop and advisory be issued to them regarding corrective measures to be taken to ensure the safety and security of students travelling in school vehicles.