Parents sulk as ‘safe road to school’ begins

Parents sulk as ‘safe road to school’ begins

Deccan Herald


With the City Police remaining steadfast on the implementation of the Safe Road to School (SRTS) programme, five of the 16 schools are gearing up to enforce the rule starting from Friday.

From July 1, the five schools which will switch to BMTC buses for ferrying children are: Sophia School, Palace Road; Baldwin Boys School, Hosur Road; Baldwin Girls School, Richmond Road; Bishop Cotton Girls School, St Mark’s Road; and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Victoria Road.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (East) M A Saleem, the SRTS programme has received good response from school administrations. School authorities have provided parking facilities inside the school premises for private vehicles, he said. The department is also providing adequate security in the buses ferrying school children, he said.


While some parents plan to continue picking up and dropping their children in opposition to the rule, few others plan to go to school to see how the promise is going to be implemented.

“Today buses came without the closed doors. There was no lady conductor, as assured. Nothing has been done. These promises look good only on paper,” Mrs Femina Prem, a parent, charged.

Parents also claim that van and auto prices have almost been doubled overnight for picking up and dropping children. “One parent told me that a van driver who charged Rs 450 earlier is now asking for Rs 700,” claims Manoj Pasangha, a parent.

Though SRTS applies to 16 schools in central parts of Bangalore, it will be enforced in the remaining 11 schools after completion of preparatory works like hiring of buses and identification of routes, City Police Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh stated.

Under Safe Road to School programme, schools are required to adopt BMTC buses to ferry children and prohibit parking of private vehicles around 200 metres around the school area during opening and closing time.