Friday, June 12, 2009

Parents must check RTO permit of school vehicle in Lucknow

It is the parent's responsibility to see the safety of their children including transport.

Parents must check RTO permit of school vehicle in Lucknow
12 Jun 2009
LUCKNOW: Parents are advised to verify the status of their children's school vehicle from RTO. The enforcement wing of the office is in no mood 

to relent and will be seizing all vehicles plying without the mandatory `school' permit from the coming academic session. 

In case, parents check out the status in advance they will be saved from last minute inconvenience. Those who have fixed up a tempo for their children need to be little more cautious. At least 400 tempos which are ferrying school children are under the scanner. In all possibility, all of them will be checked for operating as a school vehicle. 

"It is better that parents arrange for an alternative vehicle right now," said an official. RTO came up with strict announcements against illegally plying school vehicles in the start of May. 

This came after an eight-year old boy died in an accident after an unfit school bus collided with a UPSRTC bus on April 25. At least twelve children were left injured and driver of the school bus had died. 

Only those vehicles which possess the needed additional school permit will be allowed to pick-and-drop school children. Tempos after getting converted into CNG mode have not gone for the renewal of the permit and that has made them illegal for schools. 

Though these tempos have a valid permit for that particular route where they are operating but they cannot be allowed to ply as a school vehicle. After conversion all of them are a new vehicle with a new number. 

Although parents might have no interest in these technicalities, it is time they act and share responsibility for their children's safety. Verifying the status from RTO will help to know if their children's vehicle has the needed permit and is fit to ply as a school vehicle. 

The action against school vans, tempos and buses will start from July. "We do not want parents to fall prey to irrational demands of vehicle owners," said an official. In fact, if parents come to know of such vehicles they can inform RTO. 

The appeal has also been made to school management to take the issue of school transportation as seriously as other management affairs. There are not many schools in the city which have their own transportation. However, they need not buy vehicles but only keep an eye on those transporting their students.

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