Safe School Vahan Scheme under a cloud as city sees 2 mishaps in week

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, April 11

The death of a schoolgoer on Monday and a severe hip injury caused to another student a few days ago while commuting to school by auto-rickshaws has raised a question mark over the implementation of the Safe School Vahan Scheme in Patiala. While schools and parents of children are responsible for sending their children to schools by auto-rickshaws, the administration, district child protection unit, transport office and the police have till date failed to curb the violation of the scheme.

On April 7, an auto-rickshaw being driven on the wrong side of the road, collided with a car, leaving a child with a broken hip and three other children and the auto-driver injured.

Later on Monday, a student commuting to a local school at Chaura village died during treatment after falling from an auto-rickshaw.

A city resident said, “The first accident that caused a major hip injury to a minor girl should have been a wake-up call for the administration. But even then the officials failed to check any violations of the law.”

Another resident said, “The Safe School Vahan Scheme (SSVS) directs the schools to ferry children in buses only. Regularly using auto-rickshaws and other small vans is in violation of the laws.”

The Department of School Education has been issuing directions to schools to ensure adherence to the scheme.

District Child Protection Officer Shaina Kapoor said, “We have been carrying out drives to check violation of the Safe School Vahan Scheme. A drive was carried out on Monday as well but the accident took place the same day. Today we carried out another drive and issued challans to various auto-rickshaws and school buses for violation of the norms. Those who had over-loaded the vehicles and were found driving on the wrong side of the road were issued challans. Such checking of violations will continue in future as well.”

She said the team from her office was joined by officials from the Transport Department, School Education Department and traffic police for the drive.