Rohtak to offer children safer commute to school

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, January 30

The town has been selected for the ‘Safer Commute for Schoolchildren’ project being convened by the World Resources Institute (WRI) India and funded by Botnar Foundation, a Switzerland-based international charitable organisation.

The aim is to transform Rohtak into a city where children can travel safely on the road, either by foot, cycle or transit, irrespective of whether they are accompanied by an adult or are on their own.

As many as five busy traffic intersections in the town — Sukhpura Chowk, Sheila Bypass Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Medical Turn and Ambedkar Chowk — will be redesigned to ensure the safety of schoolchildren. About 13 km of town roads have been identified for making them safe for children.

The project that focuses on providing safe road infrastructure, especially for schoolchildren, is the first of its kind in the country. The local police, the Municipal Corporation and NASSCOM Foundation are also partners in the project.

Dennis Watson, a senior police officer of the Victoria police, Melbourne (Australia), visited the town on Tuesday and met senior administrative officials to prepare a plan to improve traffic management in the town.

The Australian police officer also interacted with traffic constables to understand their problems and issues.

A team of WRI India, which is convening the project, will organise capacity-building workshops with traffic policemen in the coming months to assist them in attaining the required skill-sets and attributes, manual as well as technology-driven, which will be required to improve traffic management and regulation.

Botnar Foundation is a charitable organisation established with the core purpose to support children’s basic needs throughout the world.

New look for five intersections 

• As many as five busy traffic intersections in the  town — Sukhpura Chowk, Sheila Bypass Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Medical Turn  and Ambedkar Chowk — will be redesigned to ensure the safety of  schoolchildren. 

• About 13 km of town roads have been identified  for making them safe for children.