Kids scoot on roads as police look the other way

Our correspondent

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Jagraon, October 11

In the absence of proper vigil of the local administration, underage driving is going unchecked in the town. Students under 18 years can often be seen riding two-wheelers on city roads in violation of traffic norms.

Though the minimum age for issuance of a driving licence is 18 years, schoolchildren much below the age ride two-wheelers on city roads. Neither the school authorities nor parents of schoolchildren seem to be concerned about the issue.

Most schools allow students below 18 years to park their vehicles inside school parking areas. Students, who are not allowed to park their vehicles inside school premises, park these outside institution premises, which lead to traffic jams.

However, the question remains that if schools do not allow students to park their vehicles on the campus, then why don’t they keep a check on their vehicles, which are parked outside school premises.

Meanwhile, parents of schoolchildren argue that in the present age of competition students have to run from one place to other for tuitions. They said, “It leaves little time for them to reach their tuition classes.”

“Schoolchildren need bikes or scooters because they can not make it on bicycles to tuitions classes. Therefore, we do not have any other option, but to allow our minor children to ride two-wheelers,” said a father of a school student, on condition of anonymity.

Moreover, the traffic police also seem to have a soft corner for schoolchildren. They do challan schoolchildren from time to time, but the lack of regular strictness on part of the police authorities, has given a free hand to them to commute on city roads without driving licence.

DSP, Jagraon, Kanwarpal Singh Bajwa, said the police had launched special drives to check underage driving on regular basis and also issued challans to violators. “This is not a solution of the problem. To stop underage driving we need cooperation of parents and the school authorities. Whenever we impound vehicles of underage children, their parents approach us instead of stopping them from driving before they get a driving licence,” he said.