What are the 200 cops doing outside schools?

Despite numerous traffic cops being deputed to monitor traffic outside schools, several accident cases have been reported after the start of new academic year

What are the 200 cops doing outside schools?

Despite numerous traffic cops being deputed to monitor traffic outside schools, several accident cases have been reported after the start of new academic year

Even as 200 policemen have been deputed outside schools after the start of new academic year, several accident cases, involving students, have come to the fore.

While school authorities blame the traffic police department for paying no heed to requests to monitor the situation outside schools, cops beg to differ.

Fear factor: With no traffic police in sight, school kids cross the road
outside the St Joseph's Boys School. Pic/Sanjay MD

Two accidents, thankfully not fatal, were reported from outside St Anne's School at Millers Road in the last two days and the situation outside St Joseph's Boys High School, Baldwins Boys High School and Cambridge High School amongst others schools, is not any better. Authorities of many schools have slammed the traffic police department for the lack of interest shown in regulating traffic during the first week of the new academic year.

Nothing new
Shamla Narayanaswamy, principal of Sheshadripuram High School, claimed that the traffic police department needs to be more proactive in dealing with this problem, which comes up each year. "There are three schools in the vicinity of ours' and every day, the traffic situation is getting worse. There are over 2,600 students in our school and most of them travel by private vehicles," she said.

While Josephine Flora, a teacher at the St Joseph's Boys High School, said, "We have had to assign extra security guards to monitor the situation outside the school during the mornings.

More cops required
The situation gets worse during the evenings as students from all classes leave campus together. It would be beneficial if a few more constables are assigned to regulate traffic, so that students can cross the road safely," said Flora.

Certain schools, which have gates that open onto main roads, face higher risks of accidents. "Three students have already been injured in accidents outside our school, in just two days. If no traffic cops are assigned outside the gates, the problem will get even worse," informed a teacher from St Anne's High School.

'Schools create problem'
Meanwhile, Additional Commissioner of Traffic Praveen Sood has issued a strict warning against schools that do not allow parent's vehicles inside the campus. "Schools are creating a noise about a problem that they have created for themselves. None of the schools allow parents inside the campus, nor do they allow the parent's cars inside." Sood said.

He added, "Despite having issued guidelines to principals, they haven't paid heed." The department has assigned over 200 police personnel just to monitor traffic outside schools, he informed.

"We will reduce the number of personnel assigned outside schools progressively as the traffic police department is not for keeping a watch outside schools," Sood concluded.