Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 3: The strike by school van drivers in Jamshedpur continued for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, throwing the city’s school transportation system into complete disarray and causing widespread inconvenience to parents and students alike.
The indefinite agitation, being led by the Jamshedpur School Vehicle Service Operators’ Committee, has left thousands of schoolchildren struggling to commute to and from their schools.
As on Monday, school vans remained off the roads on Tuesday as well, directly affecting students and working parents.
In major school hubs such as Sakchi, Bistupur, Telco and Golmuri, scenes of chaos were witnessed during both morning and afternoon hours.
With no vans available, parents were forced to personally drop and pick up their children from school.
Many were seen walking long distances with their children, while others had no option but to carry two or even three children on two-wheelers, raising serious safety concerns.
Parents without private vehicles faced even greater difficulties.
Several had to wait for long periods to find auto-rickshaws, while others were compelled to pay inflated fares just to ensure their children reached school on time.
The disruption has also begun to impact academic activities, with many students unable to attend classes due to the lack of transport.
The van drivers’ strike is reportedly in protest against the arrest of van driver Mannu Pandey in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl from a reputed school under the Birsa Nagar police station area.
The issue has sparked strong reactions, but parents have expressed anger over the timing of the protest, stating that children’s education and safety are being jeopardised in the middle of the academic session.
With no concrete agreement reached so far between the administration and the van operators’ committee, there appears to be little hope of the situation returning to normal on Wednesday as well, prolonging the ordeal for families across the city.
