Operators of private school vehicles indefinite strike from today

Team Udayavani, Jul 11, 2019, 8:26 AM IST

Mangaluru: The District School Vehicle Operators’ Association announced on Wednesday that their vehicles will go off the road indefinitely against the alleged harassment by the police who have been booking cases against them.

Although the association claimed that they will suspend the operations indefinitely, some operators have asked parents to make arrangements for their children till July 13. Meanwhile the buses/vehicles being operated by the school managements will ply as usual. Resultant to the directions from Karnataka High Court, the city police stared taking strict action private school van operators since June last week for overloading their vehicles with children.

The association has accused the police of booking only commercial vehicles carrying schoolchildren and have sought the intervention of district in charge Minister and Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath. The association had previously met Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil in June last week.

President of the association Mohan Kumar Attavar said that the drivers are being booked for carrying more children when the motor vehicle rules permit them to carry 1.5 times the seating capacity of the vehicle. Hefty fine by the police was pinching the drivers hard.

The operators will hold a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Friday, stated the association in a press release.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Laxmi Ganesh and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M. Manjunath Shetty held separate meetings with the members of the association.

Speaking of the situation, the city Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil said that according to the law, such vehicles cannot carry excess schoolchildren. Also, the High Court of Karnataka has given specific direction that cases should be booked against vehicles carrying excess children, and is monitoring the action taken.

The matter has have been brought to the notice of the association and they have been asked to follow the law in the interest of the safety of schoolchildren and have been asked to abide by the directions of the High Court.

The commissioner has also asked the association to call off the strike.