Police have begun a study to identify schools on main thoroughfares that are more vulnerable to accidents so they can plan measures to address the safety concerns of students and parents.
Officers in charge of police stations across nine divisions of the city have been asked to identify schools under their jurisdictions and draw up a report on the challenges that students may face in their daily commute. The report should cover the following points.
- The location of the institution — whether on the main thoroughfare or a smaller road.
- The usual mode of transport for students
- Location of bus stops in the vicinity and the level of congestion
- Whether the intersections are adequately covered by CCTVs and police.
There is no mention of the Behala accident in the communique. Senior officers said it was aimed at drawing up a report on steps to plug some of the gaps in policing outside schools and reduce the chances of accidents.
Till the corrective measures are assessed and put in place, the officers-in-charge of traffic guards and their additional officers-in-charge have been asked to be on the roads during the start and closure of schools under their respective jurisdictions.
“A school located opposite a bus stand on a thoroughfare means a section of students has to cross the road to reach the gates. If this thoroughfare remains very busy during morning peak hours, the vulnerability is extremely high for the students,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar. “The reports from the police stations will help us initiate measures, big or small, to further reduce chances of accidents.”
Several police stations submitted their reports by Friday evening and a majority of others completed the task by Saturday.
Some of the intersections are still not covered by CCTV cameras and there are places with heavy pedestrian crossovers in several places around schools across the city, the reports say.
In a separate message circulated on Friday, all divisional heads have been asked to ensure that either the officer-in-charge or additional officer-in-charge of police stations be available at the police station at any given time.
Besides, officers while drawing up deployment plans for law and order duties should ensure there are adequate numbers of women police with the force, Lalbazar has said. All units, including police stations, should ensure that 25 per cent of the actual strength is available at the barracks at any time of the day, the message issued by the joint police commissioner (headquarters) said.
Behala
A team led by senior police officers visited Behala Chowrasta on Saturday and spent over an hour.
Officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, PWD, CESC and the RVNL were part of the team, which inspected the area where the accident took place, the intersection of Diamond Harbour Road with Biren Roy Road (West), the spot in front of the school where the boy died and other areas.
“We want to study the entire area and improve traffic management. We are coordinating with all the agencies involved,” said a senior traffic police officer.
A KMC official said the height of some manholes in the area is much more than the surface of the pavement and the road. “The manholes have to be levelled with the surface,” he said.
Police sources said some lamp posts would need shifting.