Gurgaon admin plans drive to check underage driving

Gurgaon DC says a letter will be issued to all schools asking ineligible students not to drive and comply with all traffic regulations

Taking into account the rampant violation of traffic rules by school students and complaints pertaining to underage driving, the Gurgaon administration will soon launch a major initiative to prevent this practice. School authorities will also be actively involved in this effort.

As part of this drive, anyone below the age which is deemed permissible for obtaining a learner’s licence found driving would be penalised and spot fines would be issued to school students. The parents of students have also been asked to cooperate to make the drive against underage driving a success. (Sanjeev Verma/HT FILE PHOTO)

The decision was taken during a road safety meeting held at the Mini Secretariat on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Gurgaon deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.

A letter would also be written to schools in the district to ensure that students are discouraged from driving to school and ensure that they abide by the traffic regulations.

The DC also issued directions for strict enforcement of NGT directions pertaining to environment norms. He said that all vehicles need to ensure compliance with these norms.

Apart from that, Singh also directed that strict measures be taken to prevent children under the legal age from driving, as it puts their lives and that of other commuters at risk. As part of this drive, anyone found driving below the minimum age would be penalised and spot fines would be issued to school students. The parents of students have also been asked to cooperate to make the drive against underage driving a success.

Kundu was also asked to inspect the Kherki Daula toll plaza and discuss measures with the toll operators to improve the traffic situation at the toll. She was also asked to ensure that the emergency lanes meant for movement of emergency vehicles such as ambulances is not hindered in any way. She was also told to prevent the movement of vehicles on the wrong side on Hero Honda Chowk flyover — from Jaipur to Delhi — which has become a source of frequent jams on the expressway.

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The meeting also discussed lack of lights at newly constructed underpasses at Signature tower and Rajiv Chowk, which has become a major cause of concern for commuters.

Singh also issued instructions to officers of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), who were present at the meeting, to ensure lights are installed both in the underpasses as well as non-motorised lanes for the safe movement of traffic. Officials of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) were asked to prepare a list of power poles and transformers located on roads that lead to traffic safety issues.

Officials representing agencies such as the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), Public Works Department (PWD) and the NHAI, among others, were asked to redesign junctions for safer traffic movement and construction of slip roads to ensure ease of vehicular movement.

Directions were also issued to construct a slip road at Ghata village to prevent accidents and install high mast poles at now defunct Sirhaul toll plaza for the convenience of commuters.

Singh also directed the Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials to ensure that diesel-run vehicles, which are 10 years old and petrol-run vehicles, which are 15 years old, are not allowed to move on Gurgaon’s roads. The registration number of these vehicles has also been sent to the traffic police, he said.