The operators of private school vans and rickshaws will observe a strike across the state from Tuesday over their pending demands, which include expediting vehicle fitness certificates and permit processes.
The transport department has said it will intensify the crackdown against vans and rickshaws plying without valid fitness certificates and permits.
About 80,000 school vans and rickshaws across the state, 15,000 of them in Ahmedabad, could be withdrawn from services on Tuesday.
Demand for more time to get permits
The association of school vans and rickshaws has demanded they be given three months to secure the permits. They also want the authorities to scrap the 20 kmph upper speed limit clause and exempt them from using meters.
Dharmendra Brahmbhatt, president of Ahmedabad School Vardhi Association, said permits have not been issued for about a year. The transport department says it will carry out surprise inspections, but it has not been issuing permits. We have made a fair demand of asking for more time to secure the permits, he said.
Sources in the state government said that the demands are “completely unacceptable and there will be no compromise on students’ safety.” It will inconvenience many parents and lead to crowding outside schools, said one parent.
Earlier this month, the Ahmedabad School Vehicle Operators’ Association announced hikes in fares ahead of the new academic session. The minimum monthly fare has gone up from Rs 650 to Rs 750 for rickshaws and from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 for vans. These rates apply for the first kilometre, with an additional Rs 100 per kilometre for rickshaws and Rs 200 per kilometre for vans.
