Jamshedpur, April 22: Schoolchildren would never be seen pushing car-pool vehicles in the scorching sun if the district transport office strictly implements its new rules.

Come May, kids-carrying vehicles — vans, cars and autorickshaws — will have to follow the directives, which were so far alien to those engaged in the business. According to the new rules, it would be mandatory for car and autorickshaw operators to keep first-aid box and fire extinguishers in the vehicle.

The private pool car operators will have to get their vehicle registered under commercial category and ensure that the number of passengers must not be exceed the capacity set by the district transport office. This apart, the vehicles carrying schoolchildren must be fitted with a board declaring “on school duty.”

The district administration has also decided to curb the practice of using old cars for ferrying children.

Shivendu Kumar Singh, the district transport officer, admitted that many outdated and unfit cars are still being operated in the market. “In case of private vehicles getting commercial permit, the vehicle concerned must have to be passed from the district transport office for obtaining fitness certificate every year. In doing so, such car operators would not only pay additional revenue to the government, but also the condition of the vehicles would also remain same,” said Singh.

Singh added that people engaged in carrying schoolchildren tend to make more profit by making keeping the status of the vehicle as private, making the children’s life endangered.

In Jamshedpur, more than 1,000 cars, vans and autorickshaws are operating for carrying schoolchildren. It has been observed that most of these vehicles carry children much beyond the permissible number and keep the vehicles under dangerous condition. It has been found that most of the car pool operators buy second-hand cars and put the vehicles in the business without proper maintenance.

Moreover, during a surprise inspection by the administration, the fact had come to the fore that many of the cars and vans are run on LPG cylinders.

The Indian Oil Corporation of India Limited’s Jamshedpur division has also mentioned it time and again that the district administration should impose stringent measures against use of LPG cylinders in school car or vans.