The ‘indefinite’ strike by private school transport operators was withdrawn on Wednesday after the Regional Transport Office (RTO) agreed to extend the deadline to comply with safety and vehicle documentation norms by 45-60 days, as per their demands.
Around 8,000 school vans will need to be checked by the RTO within 60 days in Ahmedabad alone which may prove a challenging task.
After the Rajkot Game Zone fire, which sent shock waves through Gujarat, a comprehensive fire safety inspection of school vans was conducted across the state.
To ensure the security of children, the Ahmedabad RTO started inspections of necessary documents, including passing permits and fitness certificates of school vehicles.
‘Insufficient time’
The Ahmedabad School Van Association announced a statewide strike to protest “insufficient time” given to obtain the documents. The process to obtain documents takes at least 15 days and costs around Rs 50,000, the association said.
Around 80,000 school vans and auto rickshaws across the state, including 15,000 in Ahmedabad alone stopped working. The strike led to traffic jams outside schools as parents were forced to drop their kids on Tuesday.
The association president, Dharmendra Brahmbhatt, said: “The Ahmedabad RTO office has given us 45 to 60 days to obtain all necessary documents. During this period, we shall be spared from RTO inspection of school vehicles.”
This has been communicated to the traffic police. Every driver has been instructed to begin the process of obtaining documentation. Work will be resumed from Thursday, he added.
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