Back-to-school blues: Traffic dept reminds van drivers to remove CNG kits

KARACHI:

Traffic DIG Amir Ahmed Shaikh has once again warned the owners of school vans to remove CNG and LPG kits from their vehicles.

Shaikh was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in which he repeated the August 21 deadline for all van owners to get their act together. He stressed on the need to properly label the vans with the school logo and painting them all yellow in colour.

"All schools must ask the drivers who are bringing in the students and dropping them off at their homes to take care of the precautions that have been issued by the traffic department," he said. He requested the parents to cooperate with the school management and with the traffic department.

"If a van driver is not taking safety measures, his complaint must be lodged," he said. Parents and the school management must lodge complaints against such drivers with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee and with the traffic police, he added.

Earlier, the traffic police department had announced four requirements that must be ensured for the safe travelling of school children. All school vans must be painted yellow, vans must only be filled up to capacity and there should be no overloading. The department warned of serious action against drivers who failed to follow this rule.

Moreover, there will be no CNG or LPG cylinders placed inside the  vans and there must always be an attendant. School owners are not thrilled about these new rules.

"It is up to them, the traffic police department must turn all the school vans yellow on their own," said chairperson of All Private Schools’ Management Sindh, Syed Khalid Shah.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2015.