Most of the school vans in the federal capital have compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders under the seats and this practice is not only posing risks to the lives of students but is also a violation of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965.
According to secretary Islamabad Transport Authority (ITA), it has been found during checking that CNG cylinders have been installed under the seats in most of the school vans, which is not only dangerous but is also illegal under section 199/122 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965.
According to a notification issued by ITA, an effective campaign should be launched against violators. The ITA asked senior superintendent of Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) to depute special teams in order to take timely action against those who have installed CNG cylinder under the seats, it said.
Talking to Business Recorder, a number of parents said that installation of a CNG cylinder in school van or a public bus is just like carrying a bomb which can burst at any time. The incidents of gas cylinder blasts in school vans and public transport vehicles have been reported many times but the government has so far taken no action in this regard. The country has witnessed a number of cylinder blasts in public transport due to substandard cylinders and a large number of people lost their lives in such incidents.
Six children were injured after a CNG cylinder burst in their school van in Karachi on January 6 last. In December last, a man was killed and three persons sustained injuries when a CNG cylinder of a pick-up exploded at a filling station in Hakimabad locality of Nowshera district. According to CNG experts, the life of a cylinder is more than 10 years but to be on the safer side, it is necessary that consumers should check the standard of cylinder.