Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Ajay Kumar on Tuesday directed traffic officials, to develop safe school zones across all government and private schools in the city to ensure the safety of students on streets. The directions were given during a meeting of the District Road Safety Committee and Surakshit School Vahan Policy, said officials on Wednesday, adding that DC Kumar also reviewed road safety measures and traffic compliance in the district.
To be sure, safe zones are designated areas with safety measures created around school premises to ensure the protection of students, reduce traffic risks and improve overall safety. “The safety measures include speed restricting stretches of 20-25 km/hr, clear signages such as “School Ahead” or “Slow Down”, pedestrian crossing boards, proper zebra crossings and speed breakers,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (traffic) Dr Rajesh Mohan.
To be sure, a similar drive was launched earlier in September this year. A senior traffic official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that not all schools were covered during the previous drive. “This time, we will ensure that safe zones are developed at every school across the city,” he added.
The Surakshit School Vahan Policy highlights the essential compliances that school vehicles must follow to ensure student safety. Among the key provisions, buses must be painted yellow, equipped with CCTV, GPS systems, and clearly display “School Bus” on the front and rear. These measures aim to enhance monitoring, visibility, and overall safety during student commutes.
“The school vehicles must have an emergency exit, medical kits, grills, battery covers and police verification, all under the compliance of IRC guidelines under Section 32,” said DC Kumar.
Meanwhile, a senior traffic official said that 157 school buses were fined under Surakshit School Vahan Policy in the month of November. “Challans were issued against bus drivers who failed to maintain their vehicles properly, with several found carrying children beyond the permitted capacity. Some buses were also operating without functional CCTV cameras or lacked mandatory medical kits,” he added.
DC Kumar emphasised the need to conduct road safety programmes in schools and colleges. “The meetings are on our agenda, and we will be teaming up with schools to hold these sessions starting next week,” said Mohan.
“As per Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH) and National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data collected over a period of 10 years, from 2011 to 2022, 45 children lose their lives in India every day in road crashes. Around 500,000 children suffer non-fatal road injuries annually, with many requiring hospitalisation. The majority of these crashes occur while commuting to and from school.
Earlier, HT had reported on October 28 that a 6-year-old girl was run over by a school bus. Similarly, in May this year, a school bus hit a biker.
According to officials, this step is taken in a bid to reduce road accidents and casualities caused by school buses or negligence of drivers near school zones in Gurugram.
Major contributing factors for such crashes are poor and unsafe road conditions, weaker enforcement and traffic violations,” said Bhawna Jha, senior project associate,Raahgiri Foundation,an NGO based in Gurugram, aiming to transform urban mobility.
In the meeting, Gurugram SDM and RTA secretary Paramjeet Chahal reported that work is moving swiftly to install solar streetlights and high-mast lighting at all black spots and accident-prone areas across the district. He also stated that renovation work at Bristol Chowk has begun to make the junction safer and more navigable for pedestrians and commuters.
“We are implementing improvements at all identified accident-prone spots, including road levelling, curve corrections, installation of speed control signs, reflective strips, rumble strips, enhanced street lighting, and the development of safe pedestrian pathways,” Chahal said.