Hyderabad: In a move to strengthen safety standards for school children, the Hyderabad Traffic Police on Wednesday held a detailed review meeting with school managements, education officials, and transport stakeholders at Ravindra Bharathi.
The meeting was led by Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand, IPS, and attended by top civic and transport officials including Hyderabad Collector Dasari Harichandana, GHMC Additional Commissioner Gopal, Joint Transport Commissioner Ramesh, RTC Executive Director Munisekhar, and senior education officials from DEO and the School Education Department.
The gathering focused on practical safety measures for students commuting to and from schools. Issues discussed included enforcement of vehicle permits, capacity compliance, visibility of school identification on vehicles, driver background checks, and appointment of female attendants in all school buses.
DEO Rohini highlighted the need for driver sobriety checks, vehicle fitness monitoring, and awareness among students. Additional Director Lingaiah called for regular outreach efforts on transport safety.
Collector Harichandana stressed strict implementation of G.O. Ms No. 187 and called for an SOP to prevent accidents near schools, citing the Right to Education Act.
RTC and HCSC representatives endorsed the initiative, promising institutional support.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) D. Joel Davis disclosed that eight student deaths had occurred between 2023 and 2025 in road accidents. With only 3,000 traffic staff for over 9 million vehicles in the city, he urged schools to deploy security personnel for traffic regulation and warned of action against overloading and underage driving. He said 766 vehicle registrations had already been canceled for such violations.
DCPs Rahul Hegde, N. Ashok Kumar, and R. Venkateshwarlu, along with senior traffic officers, were present.
Commissioner Anand emphasized the need for vigilance by all stakeholders. He pointed out accident-prone zones near schools and warned principals they would be held liable for incidents within 200 metres of campuses. He also flagged the need to monitor vendors around school zones for possible narcotic sales.
He called on schools to install CCTV cameras and maintain signboards to signal school zones, particularly in high-density areas like Abids, Secunderabad, and Jubilee Hills. Special coordination units involving civic and transport departments will be formed for these zones, he said.
The police urged collective responsibility from school authorities, parents, and transporters in making Hyderabad a benchmark for student commute safety.
