SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: The Road Safety and Traffic Management Committee of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) organised a joint meeting on Friday, which saw the participation of headmasters, principals and Parent Teacher Associations of educational institutions, along with Traffic Police, RTO and the NGO GOACAN.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the best practices when it comes to managing traffic around schools and colleges when the upcoming academic year begins.
Margao Traffic Cell Police Inspector Gautam Salunke appreciated the opportunity for his department as well other authorities like MMC and RTO to interact with the heads of schools directly. MMC Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar pointed out that if there is any situation that occurs near the school, the onus falls on the headmasters/ principals and so he was happy that all of them were present for the meeting.
GOACAN convenor Roland Martins spoke about the need for dedicated traffic signals meant for schools and ensuring that care is taken when parents drop their children to school or the children themselves leave the school at the end of the day so that they avoid coming in contact with traffic on the roads.
The Traffic PI asked all the schools to form child transport committees to help them verify the private vehicles or buses used to ferry students in large numbers so that they can check if they are in proper condition, are registered and that their drivers are following the rules.
The PI further asked the schools to appoint a traffic warden, a parent of that school’s student, to supervise traffic outside the school during peak hours as the traffic cell does not have staff to be stationed outside all schools. It may be noted that a traffic warden manages the traffic outside Rosary School in Navelim. MMC Chairperson Shirodkar also said that he would look into whatever technical issues the PTAS and schools brought.
Demands were made to ensure that footpaths are not encroached upon.
Martins also recalled the steps carried out in Margao over the last two decades and why the participation of the representatives of the schools is required to ensure efficient management of traffic around the school area.
