Warning to replace old school vans hailed

PESHAWAR: The provincial Transport Department’s warning to educational institutions to replace the old and outdated vehicles within a month could be termed a positive step for the safety of students and protecting the environment, but its implementation seems difficult if not impossible.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transport and Mass Transit Department director Fahad Ikram Qazi through an order under section 34 (1) and 35 (3) of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 issued on Thursday directed the educational institutions to discard or replace the vehicles having registration and models before the year 2000.

The order said schools or college vans older than model 2000 should be replaced by January 15, 2022 after that such vehicles would not be allowed on any route of the province.

The educational institutions and vehicle owners have been warned to replace such vehicles within a month or else they would be confiscated.

The order, copies of which, have been sent to the divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, DIG traffic, Managing Director (MD) Private Schools Regulatory Authority and other relevant authorities directed them to take action if they found such vehicles on roads after the expiry of the deadline.

The decision to take off the roads the old and outdated vehicles carrying students could be termed a good and positive but keeping the government track record of bowing down to pressure before its implementation seems difficult if not impossible.

Not only the successive governments but the incumbent setup has also failed to implement rules and regulations about private educational institutions and the mushroom growth of private schools, colleges and universities has complicated the issue to a greater extent.

The establishment of private schools and colleges is a lucrative business having no check from the quarters concerned particularly the Private Schools Regulatory Authority.

The private educational institutions have opened in almost all residential areas of the province without following the set rules of having sufficient space for class rooms, playing areas or other required facilities.

Traffic congestion due to the establishment of schools on main roads is the order of the day let alone fixing uniform fee structure. Politicians and influential people’s investment in educational institution business has further aggravated the issue making this sector untouchable.

The provincial government and Transport Department after the launch of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service had announced taking off the roads the old and outdated buses and wagons but the decision has yet to be implemented.

The decades-old buses and wagons are still plying different routes of the provincial capital.

The repeated announcements of action against thousands of unregistered rickshaws have also proved mere statements.

Notwithstanding the fact that by launching the BRT, people of the metropolitan city got a comfortable modern transport service but it failed to ease the traffic flow.

Instead of a reduction in traffic mess, it was further aggravated because of the BRT route the city roads were reduced to narrow strips leading to traffic jams and accidents.

In order to control the traffic flow, the government would have to take bold decisions by implementing the relevant laws, taking off the roads old and outdated vehicles including those in use of educational institutions, unregistered rickshaws, extending BRT feeder routes to more localities and enhancing the number of buses.