Overloading in school vans poses risk to students in Srinagar

Srinagar, Mar 25: Parents have expressed serious concern on overloading in school vans, saying it poses threat to students in the summer capital.

The parents of school-going children have urged traffic authorities to ensure that the school vans are checked and addressed accordingly for the safety of their wards.

The parents said that the issues not only create inconvenience to the students but also pose a threat to them.

“Every year, schools reopen in March, and this issue surfaces. There should be a proper one-time solution so that the safety of students is ensured. We as parents pay hefty amounts for the comfort of our wards, but let alone comfort, there is overloading, which poses the risk of accidents in small vans,” said Arshid Ahmad, a parent from Srinagar.

The parents also said that the issue creates even more inconvenience when the temperatures are high in summer. They said that small kids are cramped in vans, which can lead to heat stroke during a heat wave.

“We remember that last year, the temperatures soared beyond normal. In such conditions, there needs to be a serious check on the overloading issue,” said another parent.

The parents said that van operators and schools, in a bid to make more profit, are overlooking the safety and comfort of students. Meanwhile, a video surfaced on social media in which some officials are seen confronting a van operator following the overloading of students in a school van.

The video shows people stating, “This driver has crammed up 14 kids in the van.”

“Vans are usually 5-8 seated, and these operators load twice the capacity. Schools should also take the matter seriously, and officials from the traffic police should counter the issue with serious measures,” said another parent.

A senior official from Srinagar traffic police said that they are keeping a check on overloading of public transport as well as on school vehicles.

“We have been taking all stakeholders on board to ensure these issues don’t occur. We will also intensify drives against these violations so that the safety of students is ensured,” said the official.