The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Taking the risky ride to school

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Taking the risky ride to school

By Our Staff Reporter

Photo: K.R. Deepak

VISAKHAPATNAM: Students travelling to schools dangling precariously from the rickshaws and autos has become a common spectacle in the city.

Despite the risky journey, no one is showing much concern. Particularly a few minutes before the opening of the school, chaos reigns supreme in all the lanes and by-lanes with two-wheelers and four-wheelers trying to overtake each other at the eleventh hour due to fear of closure of the gates.

Most of the areas where schools are located have not yet been declared as `school zones,' prohibiting sthe movement of big vehicles.

The situation has come to such a pass that due to overloading, sometimes tiny-tots are seen chasing the rickshaw and autos, dumping their heavy school bags and tiffin baskets.

``We have nothing to do so far this problem is concerned. In fact, the parents should ensure safe dropping and pick-up facilities for their wards. In my opinion, dropping the children oneself or using school bus facility are the safest mode of transport,'' remarked a school principal.

In the interest of school kids, it is high time the parents and school authorities sat together and put some ceiling on the number of kids to be transported in each rickshaw and auto.

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