School van owners protest against gas cylinder removal order

KARACHI: School van owners on Thursday staged a demonstration before Karachi Press Club to protest against the local authorities’ order to remove dangerous gas cylinders  from their vans, ARY News reported.

A large number of school vans owners and drivers have gathered in front of the press club this morning, protesting against the government orders.

A large contingent of police and the Rangers have been deployed at the place of the protest to control any untoward situation.

The city authorities, after a fire incident in a school van on January 06 in Orangi Town here, in which 14 students were injured, ordered the owners of school vans to remove gas cylinders from their vehicles.

The school van owners and drivers’ association Wednesday announced to stage a protest rally against the government decision from Lucky Star in Saddar to Karachi Press Club on Thursday morning. And also announced not to provide the pick and drop service to school children on the day.

The drivers’ body also complained that they could not afford to run the school vans on expensive petrol adding that the traffic police personnel also harassing them over using the CNG in their vehicles.

After the fire incident, the police had registered FIR against the driver for negligence.

The government of Sindh has decided to regulate the vans service for schools.

Sindh’s Secretary Transport has said that mostly privately owned vehicles used as school vans in the city, without any documentation and details. He said the government will legislate to regulate the school transportation service.