The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Overload in autorickshaws, a cause for concern Law & order

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Overload in autorickshaws, a cause for concern Law & order

Transport Department plans to conduct a special drive against it,
writes R. Rajaram

— Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

Jam-packed: An autorickshaw plying on a main road with school students over and above its limit in Tiruchi on Friday.

Notwithstanding the restriction imposed on autorickshaws regarding transportation of school students beyond the permitted limit, overloading is quite common in Tiruchi City.

The flouting of safety norms by autorickshaws that expose minors to risk is a persistent factor the Law enforcers and Transport Department authorities are grappling with. It was in keeping in mind the safety of the children that the State Government i ssued an order according to which autorickshaws are permitted to carry a maximum of five children up to 14 years or only three passengers. This step was taken by the government to bring in some form of regulation.

However, many autorickshaws plying on the city’s busy thoroughfares could be seen carrying students more than the permitted capacity. In several instances, the number of minors seated inside the three-wheelers exceeds nine or 10. With schools reopening, incidences of overloading have become quite visible in the mornings and evenings. Due to absence or inadequacy of public transport, parents depend on autorickshaws for to and fro transportation of their children.

The minors travelling in the overloaded vehicles are packed like sardines in claustrophobic conditions. Worse still is that one or two students could be seen sharing the driver’s seat, oblivious to the risks involved. And school and lunch bags hang on the hooks fitted to the sides of the autorickshaws, causing discomfiture to other road users. Action is being taken through imposition of fines on erring autos.

In case of repeated offences cancellation of permit is recommended, says a senior Transport Department official. The Department, he said, was planning to conduct a special drive against overloading in autorickshaws with the schools having reopened now. Overloading is a crucial issue since it involves the safety of the children.

Hence, there should be stricter enforcement of rules by the Transport and Police authorities in a coordinated manner, says consumer activist M. Sekaran.

There should be no laxity on the part of the enforcing agencies as it would only encourage the violators, he says. The Police and Transport Department authorities could themselves form a joint committee and conduct checks at regular intervals to drive home the message that overloading would not be allowed, he adds.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu