NCPCR takes note of Hyderabad lawyer’s plaint on unsafe roads

In his order dated August 6, NCPCR director V Ramanadha Reddy has also asked for the complainant to be informed of the action taken.

Hyderabad: Taking cognisance of a complaint highlighting how children bear the brunt of unsafe roads and the lack of school-zone infrastructure in Telangana, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has directed the state’s Director of School Education to take necessary action.

In his order dated August 6, NCPCR director V Ramanadha Reddy has also asked for the complainant to be informed of the action taken.

Citing Hyderabad Traffic Police data, Hyderabad-based advocate Yennam Balachander Reddy filed the complaint in July this year seeking intervention “against the continuing and systemic violation of the constitutional and statutory rights of children due to the failure of the State authorities to ensure safe road infrastructure, school-zone safety, and secure access to educational institutions in Hyderabad and the state of Telangana”.

What the complaint said

He said that according to the official data, between January and May this year, Hyderabad recorded 1,604 road traffic accidents, 141 of them fatal. During the same period, 128 minors were involved in road accidents, resulting in seven deaths, four grievous injuries, and 117 minor injuries.

The data, he said, also showed that around 10 per cent of all road accident victims in Hyderabad are children, while the number falls between 10 and 15 per cent in the state.

He said, “Government surveys have further revealed that a majority of school zones lack mandatory safety infrastructure, including school-zone warning signs, speed-limit boards, zebra crossings, speed breakers, pedestrian pathways, designated pick-up and drop-off areas and effective traffic enforcement measures.”

Holding the state Chief Secretary, Department of School Education, Home Department, Transport Department, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, Director General of Police, Hyderabad City Police, and Hyderabad Traffic Police directly responsible for this lapse, Reddy sought time-bound Action Taken Reports (ATRs) from them.

He said, “The continuing administrative inaction has resulted in a systemic infringement of children’s
right to safety, protection and education, warranting immediate intervention by this Hon’ble
Commission.”