It was a tragedy waiting to happen. Ill-maintained vans and autorickshaws ferry schoolchildren in a manner that would put even cattle cars to shame.
It was a tragedy waiting to happen. Ill-maintained vans and autorickshaws ferry schoolchildren in a manner that would put even cattle cars to shame.
The tragic event at Jogeshwari, where four children died in a fire, is part of a larger problem, which has been constantly overlooked by the authorities concerned
It is not unusual to see an autorickshaw speeding down a suburban road with 10 children crammed inside. In spite of the availability of school buses, parents hire vans, jeeps, taxis, and cars to get their children to school and back. In most cases, the children are in the age group of 4 to 10 and stay within walking distance of school.
“Hiring a private vehicle along with other parents in our society was a convenient option for us as the school is just 15 minutes away and the school bus service is not necessary in such a case,” said Trupti Acharya, a parent from Dahisar.
“Since both of us are working and their grandparents cannot walk them to school everyday, this is the best option for us.”
For 10-year old Swati Angne, it is a daily experience to be jammed inside a private jeep to get a drop to home. The Std V student took the school bus earlier, but her parents prefer that she travels in a jeep with 15 other children.
“The school bus arrives at an inconvenient time and since both of us are working, we were not able to send her at the enforced time,” said Swati’s mother Kinjal Angne.
“When other parents in our area hired a private jeep, we found it more convenient than the school bus,” said Swati’s mother Kinjal Angne, a resident of Malad.
But most times parents remain unaware of the conditions in which their children travel.
“My seven-year-old child used to go to his school in an autorickshaw along with six other children,” said Pawan Chaturvedi from Chembur. But when Chaturvedi’s son, a student of Holy Family High School, complained of back pain due to the uncomfortable seating, Chaturvedi put him in a school bus.
“Though it takes a long time to reach home, at least he is safe,” he said.
r_priya@dnaindia.net
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