Stressing the importance of following guidelines while transporting school students, the Traffic Control Police Wing has urged schools and school vehicle associations to adhere to the maximum students limit in schools vehicles for safety.
Amid the intense heat, the Manipur police have woken up and begun showing concerns over the overloading of school vans that a team from Bishnupur district police has initiated a crackdown on school van operators for transporting students beyond the vehicle’s legal capacity on Monday.
Following such an initiative, Chief Minister N Biren Singh lauded the steps taken by district police and traffic police wing in a post on his official Facebook page.
He warned legal action will be taken against any school transport service that fails to comply with safety guidelines, underscoring the government’s commitment to students’ safety.
In a move to enhance safety of students commuting in school vehicles, the Transport department of Manipur issued a strict advisory regarding maximum number of students allowed in school vehicles along with other conditions.
The initiative comes in the wake of growing concerns over overcrowding in school transportation, posing significant risks to the safety and well-being of students and has also been seriously viewed by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCORS), the notice stated.
The Traffic Control Police press statement also stated that overloading vehicles beyond their capacity not only violates the law but also increases the likelihood of accidents and injuries, especially in the event of sudden braking or collisions.
The Traffic Control Police Wing emphasized that schools and school vehicle associations must strictly enforce and adhere to the specified maximum student limits in school vehicles as prescribed i.e. as per Transport department, government of Manipur vide Manipur Gazette Extraordinary No. 385 dated 22/09/2015:- “Seating Capacity:- No vehicle belonging to or in use for any educational institution shall seat children in excess of 1.5 (one point five) times of its registered capacity.”
As empowered vide Manipur Gazette Extraordinary No. 189 dated 07/09/2019 published by the Transport department, government of Manipur, the Traffic Control Police Wing will compound u/s 194A of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 against all those school vehicles’ drivers who does not comply with the above seating capacity.
