Chandigarh: In view of waterlogging and traffic conditions caused by heavy monsoon rainfall, the district administration has taken special measures to ensure the safety of schoolchildren. District Disaster Management Authority Chairman and DC Uttam Singh held an inter-departmental coordination committee meeting today in view of difficulties faced by school buses at some locations following heavy rainfall on Monday.
During the meeting, he issued necessary directions to officials of the concerned departments to ensure the safe movement of schoolchildren. Accordingly, the District Disaster Management Authority has issued detailed guidelines for the safe operation of school buses.
Under the directions issued by the District Disaster Management Authority, the Gurugram Traffic Police has been instructed to establish a system for preparing and sharing real-time information on waterlogging along school routes with schools. On rainy days or when there is a weather warning, reports will be issued at 5:30 AM, 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM. In addition, in the event of heavy rainfall or sudden blockage of any route, a flash update must be issued within 30 minutes.
All schools in the district have been directed not to send school buses through routes declared waterlogged and to use safe alternative routes wherever available. If no safe alternative route is available, students must be kept on the school premises under staff supervision and parents must be informed immediately. During heavy rainfall, dispersal of students will also be carried out in phases, taking the waterlogging situation into account.
The DC has directed that no child should be dropped off at a waterlogged or unsupervised bus stop. Children must be handed over only to their parents or authorised guardians. Every bus must have a staff escort, adequate drinking water, and drivers must be clearly briefed not to take buses through waterlogged routes or underpasses. In case of any change in route or timings, schools must inform parents in advance through SMS or the school app.
Traffic Police to Give Priority to School Bus Movement
The DCP Traffic has been directed to ensure the deployment of traffic personnel, tow vehicles and PCR vehicles, wherever required, at sensitive locations along school bus routes. During dispersal hours from 7 AM to 9 AM and 12 PM to 3 PM, safe movement of school buses through affected routes will be given priority.
During rainfall or weather warnings, additional Haryana Roadways buses will also be kept on standby. These buses will be stationed at pre-identified safe locations and will be used to transport students to a safe location or school if a school bus gets stuck or breaks down due to waterlogging. Under no circumstances will any student be left unattended.
Dedicated WhatsApp and SMS System for Schools
Under the directions issued, the District Education Officer and District Elementary Education Officer have been instructed to prepare, within 24 hours, a dedicated WhatsApp broadcast group and bulk SMS/email list covering the principals/heads and transport in-charges of all government, private, aided and recognised schools in the district. Every report or flash update received from the Traffic Police must be forwarded to all schools, without any modification, within 15 minutes.
The system will cover schools across all areas of the district, including Sohna, Pataudi, Manesar, Farrukhnagar and Badshahpur. A weekly compliance report must be submitted to the district administration every Monday.
Special Safety Arrangements at Schools
The directions state that every school must appoint a Transport In-charge/Route Safety Officer. During rainfall, students must not be assembled in basements or any low-lying areas of the school premises. Schools must also ensure inspection of electrical panels and exposed wires on their premises. Any incident involving a school bus getting stuck in waterlogging or a situation in which the safety of a child is at risk must be reported immediately to the GMDA/MCG helpline at 18001801817 or WhatsApp number 9821395354.
Drainage on School Routes to Get Priority
GMDA, Haryana Roadways, Municipal Corporation Gurugram, Municipal Council Manesar, HSVP, PWD (B&R) and NHAI have been directed to give priority to drainage along school bus routes and around school gates.The concerned officials will remain present at identified waterlogging points during and after rainfall. Haryana Roadways has been directed to identify a fleet of additional buses and drivers and provide details of their numbers and standby locations within 48 hours.
ADC Sonu Bhatt has been assigned overall responsibility for monitoring compliance with the directions. He will hold a joint review meeting every Friday with the Traffic Police, Education Department, GMDA, Haryana Roadways and Municipal Corporation.
