Overloading in school buses: An unpardonable offence

Though overloading in schools buses has become a routine practice in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley but overloading in a school van prompting Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to take action but not the traffic cops usually penalising drivers for violating the traffic guidelines is the issue of greater public concern . Cancellation of the registration of a school van for committing the offence of overloading by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar is first stringent action taken against any school van driver for over loading in his vehicle. Almost two decades back the traffic police department used to impose penalties on drivers of passenger vehicles for over loading but now the overloading in passenger buses is no longer an offence now as passenger buses can be seen moving with dozens of passengers sitting on the roof tops even in the civil lines of the Srinagar city. Though very rarely the drivers of passenger buses in Jammu city are seen committing the offence of overloading but in Srinagar city the fast growing menace of overloading is not heading to any dead end. Interestingly the overloading in passenger buses is the cause of majority of the road accidents on arterial roads connecting the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and major towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu province with rural areas. Day in and day out reports of road accident deaths mark the front page headlines of newspapers but government restricts its concerns to few condolence messages from the top helmsmen and exgratia cash relief of few thousands for the dead.
Warning the school bus drivers of more stern actions for overloading in their buses is though a very welcome step but the overloading becoming the reason for road accident deaths day in and day out both within and outside twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu needs to be curbed with a heavy hand. Overloading in school buses should have caught the attention of traffic cops on the roads but it has caught the attention of Deputy Commissioner Srinagar whose prompt action has triggered a debate about the misuse of school buses by the drivers in connivance with the school managements. Cancelling the registration of the school van for committing the offence of overloading and warning schools of allowing overloading in school buses is not enough but school managements hiring vans and buses for transportation facilities to the children have to be held responsible for any accidental death of any child due to overloading in the school vehicle.