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Thursday March 28, 2024

School van operators to stop transporting children from today

Lives of schoolchildren remain in danger

By Zeeshan Azmat
August 21, 2015
Karachi
In reaction to the standard operating procedure issued by the Sindh transport department and an impending crackdown ahead by the traffic police, the All Private School Van Service Association (APSVSA) on Thursday declared to stop their services for school-going children from Friday.
The association claimed that unjust decisions were being taken against them and the members were left with no other option but to keep vehicles off the road to register their dissent over the matter.
“No transport service will be available at schools till our demands are met and logical and reasonable decisions are taken to safeguard the interest of transport providers,” said APSVSA president Abdul Karim while talking to The News. “The transport department and traffic police did not take the school transport providers on board while preparing the standard operating procedures about school vans.”
According to the SOP issued by the transport department, the use of CNG and LPG kits in transport vehicles of educational institutions was banned and if any transporter was found violating this rule, then its license would be cancelled.
The vans should also be also had to make themselves distinct by painting the vehicles yellow and the presence of an attendant was also made mandatory.
However, the drivers and owners of transport vehicles refuse to remove CNG and LPG cylinders, the key component of the SOP, devised to prevent incidents such as those which took place in Nawabshah and Gujranwala districts.
The transport providers unanimously agreed to stop their services until the government accepted their demand of allowing them to have CNG and LPG kits in their vehicles.
The association held a meeting in this regard on Thursday afternoon after which it announced its decision of boycotting services at a press conference held at the KMC Elementary School, Saudabad, situated near the RCD Ground.
After the press conference, the transporters and van owners gathered and marched till Star Gate, Sharea Faisal, where they staged a sit-in till late Thursday night.
“We realise that our decision will put extra burden on parents’ shoulder and we are extremely sorry for taking such extreme measures,” said Abdul karim. “But, we strongly believe that this is the only way to highlight our problem and get noticed by the Sindh government.”
He asked why the transporters were being asked to remove CNG cylinders when the Oil and Gas Regularity Authority (OGRA) provided certificates to all vehicles operating on compressed natural gas.
He said the transporters had legal permission to carry gas cylinders, and it made no sense that the transport department and traffic police were forcing them to remove them from the vehicles.
Karim said the educational transport providers will only agree to remove CNG kits and LPG cylinders if the transport department and traffic police also take the same stringent measures against other private and commercial vehicles operating in Karachi.
He said the APSVSA was ignored completely in all its past meetings during which the SOPs were devised. “If we had been invited, we would have been able to give our inputs and advice and this conflict could have been easily avoided,” said the association’s president.
Referring to the private school managements, who issued a statement in support of the transport department and the traffic police, he said it was acting as the B team of the authorities.
Meanwhile, Raheel Riaz, a member of the APVSA, claimed that traffic police had already begun to harass drivers of school vans and were minting money by confiscating audio tapes from their vehicles.
The traffic police had announced a crackdown against school vans violating the SOPs from August 21, however on Thursday it was extended till September 4.