On January 28, five school children of Millat School in Jogeshwari died after a Maruti van illegally fitted with an LPG cylinder went up in flames. The van was not authorised to ply as a school-van. In February, a five-year-old boy died after sustaining a head injury in a ramshackle Matador. This vehicle too was ferrying school children without the necessary permit.

In 2007, the three RTOs in the city caught over 800 vehicles operating as school vans without the required contract carriage permit.

According to Vikas Pandkar, Regional Transport Officer (West), the awareness programme is to urge school authorities and parents to avoid the cheaper but illegal option of a vehicle without the permit.

“We will start this awareness programme in May, before the next academic year starts,” Pandkar informed.

He added: “The three RTOs will meet soon to chalk out the details of the campaign.”

With many parents unable to afford school buses, the cheaper vans and autorickshaws come into play. Also, when buses are unable to enter narrow lanes, children have to walk to the main road to board school buses, another reason for parents to opt for vans.

Meanwhile, the transport department is drafting its proposal to introduce Maruti Omnis as school vans, with stringent regulations regarding the minimum amenities to be provided and basic safety precautions to be taken.

“The proposal that is being formulated will have to be prepared in a very thorough manner as the issue is very complex. Safety and comfort of the school children will be given priority. We hope that with the introduction of this proposal, the number of clandestine operations of vehicles operating as school vans without permits will come down,” a senior RTO official said.