Bihar School News: The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has decided to ban autorickshaws or e-rickshaws for facilitating students' commute to school. The transport department has imposed a complete ban on such modes of transport from April 1 in the interest of children's safety.
According to officials, the government has taken this decision in the wake of the increasing number of road accidents in Bihar. The order was issued by the traffic division of the Bihar Police. All district SSPs and SPs have been instructed to fully implement the order from April 1.
The order states that the Bihar government has decided to prohibit the operation of auto-rickshaws/e-rickshaws for the transport of schoolchildren/ students from April 1.
It should be noted that in view of the increase in road accidents, the Road Safety Council submitted a memorandum on January 16 informing the transport department. Following this, a meeting was held on January 30, under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner, instructing a ban on bringing schoolchildren to and from school by autorickshaw and e-rickshaw.
Publicity was also carried out through newspapers and media. However, no action has been taken yet.
The operation of e-rickshaws for the transport of school children is being carried out unabated. This is inviting painful road accidents. The transport department has now taken a strict approach, seeking the help of the police headquarters, and the headquarters traffic has now decided to curb this through police action.
The letter also states that in light of the above, it is requested that within their respective districts, all stakeholders, including school management, parents, transport management, etc, should be informed about the management of the operation of e-rickshaws, or autorickshaws for the transport of school children from April 1, and ensure its effective implementation.
It has also been stated that the office must be informed of the action taken. The department has written that there have been several cases where school children have been sent by autorickshaw or e-rickshaw, resulting in major road accidents and the death of several children. To prevent this, the transport department has taken this decision, and the police will now try to stop it by taking strict action.
The impact of this government decision will be particularly visible in the capital, Patna. In Patna, approximately 4,000 auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws bring children to and from school. Patna DTO Upendra Kumar Pal has already stated that sending children to school by autorickshaw and e-rickshaw is not safe.
Meanwhile, the Patna Traffic SP has said that bringing children to school by autorickshaw and e-rickshaw is illegal.
