La Martiniere for Boys has asked parents of all students to arrange for carpools to drop their children to school and added that it would not take responsibility if anyone ignoring the advice was stopped by the traffic authorities from April 1.

A circular issued by the school on Thursday states: “Effective from 1st April 2020, the school shall take no responsibility if any parent/guardian ferries student in individual private car and the same is prevented or stopped by the traffic authority to approach the school.”

The circular has cited auto emission and high levels of pollution in the city as reasons for the decision.

Calcutta police, however, said they were yet to finalise any plan or date for implementing the project. “We welcome the move if any school wants to do it. But it would be unfair to comment on this at this stage,” said a senior officer of the traffic department.

The school said the circular followed a directive from the directorate of school education making it mandatory to introduce “a system of buses or carpool (as applicable) for transportation of students, not later than 1st April 2020, by taking necessary options from the guardians/parents of such students who might be using personal vehicles for their wards. The use of personal vehicles for ferrying students to and from the school should only be allowed in very emergent and exceptional cases against proper justification”.

Principal John Rafi said the school had set a deadline for parents because the letter from the directorate of school education marked to multiple agencies, including the police, mentioned the April 1 date.

“We will meet the parents to discuss ways in which the system can be implemented and we are doing it well in advance so that they have enough time to find suitable alternatives,” Rafi said. “We want to emphasise the need for a healthier environment and sensitise parents about it. We are expecting a positive response as we are doing it for the future of our pupils.”

The school has communicated to parents certain modalities they have decided to introduce. Parents have been asked to refrain from using personal cars to transport their wards and by way of “alternative mutual arrangements to set up pool cars among the parents of the localised neighbouring students on rotational basis”.

The school, while clarifying that no school has any responsibility for “to & fro” movement and transportation of students outside the school premises, has offered to help by connecting parents of students in the same area with the objective of “reducing increased air pollution due to accumulation and congestion of private cars around the school”.

The school will start meeting the parents from Friday.