Patna, Feb. 27: Students are not safe on city streets. Even kids realise it a few days after admission to school. But it took police two lives to recognise it.

Waking up from slumber after two students’ death in road accidents on Saturday, the city police stations have directed to depute cops at the main gates of schools in their jurisdiction half-an-hour before they open and close. But the decision comes with a rider. Cops cannot be deputed at every school. The parents and the school management will have to chip in to ensure students are not run over on roads.

Admitting that the situation was precarious, Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Alok Kumar told The Telegraph the police had plans to improve the situation.

“The police stations under which prominent schools are located have been directed to send cops to the school gates half-an-hour before they start and end. The cops will ensure hassle-free and safe entry and departure of school buses and students coming on two-wheelers and bicycles. They will also control the general traffic. The cops will be on duty till all the students enter the school or leave,” the SSP said.

“We will be closely monitoring the situation in all the schools. But the school management and the parents have a bigger role to play. Some parents start for school with their wards 15 to 20 minutes before the morning assembly because they live nearby. But when they get stuck in a traffic jam, they tend to hurry. The same can be said about the students going to schools themselves. They should manage their time. They should always start in advance. This precautionary measure will always have positive effects,” the senior officer added.

The SSP also talked about holding discussions with the schools on road safety of students.

“The school managements, bus drivers and owners should calculate their timings properly. If they start early to pick up or drop students, the hurry factor will be out of radar. And this will ensure safety of students. The police will hold talks with the schools in this connection. We are very serious about this,” Kumar said.

On Saturday, two students died in road mishaps, one involving 10-year-old Yashraj, a Class II student of Danapur-based Greenfield School. He was mowed down by a tractor on his way back home from school.

Sixteen-year-old Noor Fatima alias Gazala was crushed to death by a speeding bus in the other incident. She was on her on way to the BNR Training School under Alamganj police station with her brother for taking the matriculation exam. On February 7, Shweta Suman (16), a Class XI student of DAV School in BSEB Colony was crushed to death by the bus of her own institution after her two-wheeler slipped on road.

All the three errant drivers were arrested. But the one driving the killer DAV School bus is out on bail.