The Court Road in Sakchi. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, April 29: The East Singhbhum district administration’s decision to change school timing keeping in view the scorching heat has proved to be a bane for the traffic flow in the steel city.

Heavy vehicles like trucks, trailers and dumpers can ply on the roads of the steel city between 9am and 12.30pm, 3pm and 5.30pm and from 10.30am till 6am. The no-entry timing of the heavy vehicles were scheduled earlier keeping in mind the previous school timings.

According to the new directives of the district administration, the schools are getting over at 10.30am, when the heavy vehicles are commuting on the road. As a result, the schoolchildren are facing the brunt of heavy traffic flow.

Frequent traffic snarls in front of the schools have become a common feature. Even chances of accident are more.

If one takes a look at the Court Road in Sakchi, where Rajendra Vidyalaya, Motilal Nehru Public School, Dayanand Public School and Tagore Academy are situated, one can understand the situation. The children find it difficult to negotiate the road with such a heavy flow of traffic.

At Bistupur, the children studying in St Mary’s English School and Ramakrishna Mission English School, both located on Kharkai Link Road, also witness heavy traffic snarl when schools get over.

Previously, the district administration had scheduled the no-entry timing keeping in view of the school timing but with the change in school timings the no-entry timings has not been re-scheduled.

East Singhbhum superintendent of police Naveen Kumar Singh said the new no-entry schedule is being prepared keeping in view the rescheduling of school timing. He said that the new timing would be implemented in a day or two.

“As the administration has to keep several factors in mind, we have to be very meticulous in preparing the no-entry schedule. It is for certain that a new schedule which will suit the interest of school-going children will be notified shortly,” said the police superintendent.

However, a traffic police official was critical of the administrative step of rescheduling the no-entry timings. “When the schools are scheduled to announce the summer vacation latest by May 10, rescheduling of no-entry timing will hardly be of any importance. Moreover, it take weeks together to implement a new no-entry schedule effectively,” said the official.