Footboard Travel Concerns Rise in Chengalpet and Kanchi After Student's Death

The death of a 14-year-old school student near Mamallapuram has triggered widespread concern over the growing practice of students travelling on footboards and hanging from windows of government buses across rural parts of Chengalpet and Kanchipuram districts.

The victim, Dheen Dayalan, a Class IX student at a government school near Mamallapuram in Chengalpet district, died after falling from the footboard of a government bus while on his way to school last Wednesday. The Mamallapuram police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the fatal incident.

Local residents and commuters noted that despite recurring accidents, unsafe travel among school students in rural belts has continued unabated. In several instances, students choose to cling to window bars and stand on footboards with their feet suspended close to the roadway, even when vacant seats are available inside the buses.

A similar situation has been reported at the government higher secondary school at Pappankulam in the Uthiramerur municipality of Kanchipuram district. Numerous students from Uthiramerur and nearby villages depend heavily on state-run buses for daily commuting, with many routinely seen travelling on footboards.

Transport employees stated that drivers and conductors frequently warn students about the hazards of such travel. However, workers reported that some students argue with crew members and occasionally issue threats after gathering peers. Transport staff added that the absence of adequate traffic police personnel in rural areas hampers immediate intervention and enforcement.

Social activists have called on school administrations and parents to jointly counsel children on the extreme hazards of footboard travel. They have also urged the transport department to run additional buses during morning and evening peak hours along routes with high school student traffic, pointing out that coordinated efforts among schools, parents, police, and transport authorities are necessary to avoid further casualties.