The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Drive against vehicles carrying schoolchildren

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Drive against vehicles carrying schoolchildren

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JAN. 25. The Transport Department on Tuesday launched a drive against violation of motor vehicle rules by vehicles carrying schoolchildren to educational institutions.

In a drive across the major towns of Coimbatore, Erode and the Nilgiris, the officials have charge sheeted 74 vehicles for indulging in a number of violations, the Deputy Transport Commissioner, K. Yogarajan, said.

The respective RTOs in the Nilgiris and Erode led the drive.

In Coimbatore city, vehicle checks were conducted in six places, especially the ones close to educational institutions.

The special teams led by Regional Transport Officers, S.S. Velumani (Coimbatore South), D. Mani (North) and M. Rajendran (Enforcement) carried out the drive on Tiruchi Road, Avinashi Road, Thadagam Road and Cowley Brown Road.

Mr. Yogarajan said that out of the several hundred vehicles checked, 74 were charged for various offences.

Sixtyone vehicles were found to be carrying more children than the authorised seating capacity.

Cramped space

For making quick money, most of these operators were carrying maximum number of children in a cramped space available in the vehicles.

The drive led to detection of overloading in 38 auto rickshaws, 16 tourist taxis and maxi-cabs and violations by five vehicles belonging to private educational institutions.

Two omni vans were detained for plying without authorised papers.

Besides this, 13 drivers were found to be not in possession of valid driving licence, ten without valid insurance cover and four did not have any fitness certificate for their road-worthiness.

Two vehicles were found to have evaded payment of road tax while two were not in possession of valid papers.

The department would soon try to sensitise the parents (through the educational institutions) on the need for taking care and concern in choosing a vehicle.

As an interim measure, the RTOs and Motor Vehicle Inspectors were being instructed to carry on with the drive during the school hours and the enforcement would be sustained, Mr. Yogarajan said.

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