Crowded, rashly driven e-rickshaws, vans put school students’ lives at risk

A Class III girl, who boarded an e-rickshaw in Northeast Delhi’s Jafrabad on Friday last week, could not reach her school in Shahdara as the vehicle overturned leaving her dead and her mother injured.

This is not the lone case as a study by the Delhi Parents’ Association reveals that nearly 60 per cent of children in city schools risk their lives while commuting to and from school. The study was conducted on the transportation facilities of over 150 schools in the Capital.

When The Tribune correspondents visited Burari, Timarpur and Rohini, students were seen returning home in cabs that were being driven rashly in several locations and ferrying students more than the permitted capacity. The condition was similar with e-rickshaws too.

“Schools generally charge transport fee between Rs 4,500 and 5,000 for almost 20-22 days (excluding holidays) in a month, which is very high given the city offers cheaper modes of transportation such as Metro and DTC buses,” said Nitin Gupta, member of the Srijan Parents’ Association.

Gupta said transportation was one of the ways where schools commercialise and earn profits. “Transportation should be provided at a concessionary rate so that students do not risk their lives while commuting to and fro schools,” he mentioned.

Demanding a strict vigilance from the Traffic Police and the Department of Education, Gupta said: “The authorities should intervene to make the transportation better for students,” he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Harish Chandra, a resident of Rohini, said schools sometimes do not provide transportation facilities, saying a specific area does not fall within their bus routes.

“My son goes to a school in Model Town. The school management told me that my area is not in their bus route. So, the child has to be sent to the school either by a private van or by someone from the house,” he added.

Diksha Pandey, a resident of Burari, said, “My daughter takes an e-rickshaw to a government girls’ school. The school does not provide transportation facility. Most of the times, I drop her to the school either by DTC bus or other modes of transportation such as e-rickshaw.”