QUEPEM: Dropping children to school was a nightmare for the parents every morning. People would just park their vehicles haphazardly by the roadside to cross over and drop the little ones to school. This would result in terrible traffic jams with serpentine queues of vehicles caught in traffic leading to inordinate delays.
The situation was just bad in the mornings when parents had to squeeze through the congested vehicles to reach school on time.
The authorities did little to bring the situation under control and with just one police constable manning the show, things were going out of hand.
It was at this time the principal of Pope John XXIII High School, Quepem, devised the idea of forming a Traffic Control Committee consisting of parents who would extend a helping hand to solve the issue.
PTA member Allwyn Menezes said that a team of volunteering parents came forward and decided to take solve the problem. “Very quickly they studied and analyzed the issue and came up with a brilliant ‘drop & go solution’, said Menezes and added that this worked thus easing the traffic considerably.
“Volunteers, including young mothers would come in the morning at 7
with the sole one aim to assist and make a safe passage for students to get to school and for parents to be stress free,” added Menezes.
Amazed at the willingness of parents inspired the Quepem Police Traffic Cell to offer assistance who also provided barricades to them, revealed Damiao Rodrigues, a parent and added that heavy vehicular traffic has now halted along the roads passing along the school during peak hours upon the request of parents.
Jennifer Fariad who offers her precious time for this voluntary service said that the hardwork and persistence of a small team of about 12 parents has made a big difference today as traffic is not only decongested by over 95% but has also created and more safer environment for students coming to school.
