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Kids back in schools, gridlock ensues at Hazratganj, Shahnajaf Road
Commuters face harrowing time maneuvering through congested roads at key areas in city on first day of schools reopening after summer break
The district administration’s tall claims of implementing several measures to address traffic snarls in the city fell flat on the first day of schools’ reopening after the summer vacation.
Chaos ruled the roost outside Cathedral Senior Secondary School in Hazratganj and St Francis’ College on Shahnajaf Road as parents gathered there around 12:45 pm and parked their vehicles blocking a good part of both sides of the road. Multiple school vans parked on the main roads only added to the traffic woes.
The situation took a turn for the worse when the schools rang the final bell around 1.15 pm. In a few minutes, both sides of the stretch were choked. “The blaring honking noises by car drivers were deafening,” said a class 11 student.
The school day for kindergarteners to class 2 students at Cathedral Senior Secondary School was over by 12:30 pm. Around 30 minutes later, the classes for those from grades 3 to 12 ended. At St. Francis School, all classes were dismissed by 1:15 pm.
“It’s the same story every year. School vans and cars flood the area, making it nearly impossible for commuters to navigate through,” noted Rita Tiwari, the mother of a student of Cathedral. “I park my vehicle at a distance and walk to the school to pick up my son. It is better to walk than to get stuck in the jam,” said Suraj Singh, whose son is a student of the school in Hazratganj.
Reason for snarls
School vans and other transport vehicles are usually parked on both sides of the road. On top of that, parents park their vehicles alongside these vans, effectively blocking more than half of the road and obstructing the smooth movement of other vehicles. “I have been witnessing it for 20 years now. Parents park their cars any way they want and block the road for others,” said Ramesh Yadav, a rickshaw puller. “When school hours end, a traffic jam from Hazratganj to Saharaganj Mall is inevitable,” he added.
Also, people abruptly pausing in the middle of the road to pick up their children increases the risk of accidents. “Traffic goes haywire only when schools finish for the day. People are stuck for about 15-20 minutes in the jam,” remarked Mehboob Alam, the owner of a local shop.
Peripheral roads add to chaos
The road from Hazratganj towards St Francis splits into stretches one of which leads to Nawal Kishore Road. This also causes bottlenecks as it slows down traffic from three directions, especially when the school hours draw to a close. On Monday, there were no police officials stationed at the location to facilitate easy movement of traffic. “We get stuck in traffic for about 15-20 minutes every day. Children reach their homes very late because of this problem,” said Chandra Kishore Dwivedi, a van driver.
What officials say
When contacted, district magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said, “Today was day one of the schools reopening. We will look into the matter and try to streamline the traffic movement.”
“Enough cops were deployed to manage the traffic. As students were let go altogether, and with vehicles on the street, a jam-like situation was seen that was normalised in some time,” said Hazratganj station house officer Vikram Singh adding traffic on the stretch would be managed in collaboration with the school staff henceforth.
‘We’re doing everything we can’
Fr Paul Correa, the principal of Cathedral Senior Secondary School, said, “It is wrong to say that traffic goes haywire every time when school gets over... I monitor traffic movement outside the school gate. A school staffer manages the traffic with the help of a public address system. We do everything possible to streamline the traffic movement.”
Inputs by Sharmistha Shivhare
