The Tribune impact: MP Dharamvira Gandhi asks NHAI to ensure safety of Rajpura village students

Patiala, July 16

A day after The Tribune highlighted the plight of students from Government High School, Kheri Gandhean, in Rajpura tehsil, who follow a perilous daily journey across the busy four-lane Patiala-Rajpura highway (NH-64), the administration swung into action today. The administration wrote to the National Highway Authority to take the necessary measures to ensure schoolchildren’s safety.

DC Patiala Showkat Ahmad Parray said, “We have written to the NHAI to urge the body to take necessary road safety measures, including installing a signboard ahead of school. They have been told to check the possibility of a foot overbridge and a footpath on either side of the highway to assist the students heading to the school.”

Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi said he has also asked the administration and the NHAI to explain the situation. “There is a potential risk to children’s lives. I have asked the administration and NHAI for remedial measures to ensure schoolchildren’s safety,” he said.

Principal Naib Singh thanked the Tribune. He said, “I have been told to report to the Deputy Commissioner with all the relevant documents pertaining to the problems being faced by the school so that safety measures could be taken immediately.”

A road safety expert, Harpreet Singh, said, “We need to create safe school zones to secure children’s lives. A school zone safety audit should be conducted immediately. With low-cost intervention, the safety of the students can be enhanced.”

Every day, 200 students from classes 6 to 10 from 10 villages, including Kheri Gandhean, Khanpur, and Dhaindsa, negotiate heavy traffic and speeding vehicles to reach school. Their journey back home is equally treacherous, with students having to make their way through this crossing again.

A resident, Tarsem Singh, who accompanies his children and helps others cross the road safely, said, “We hope that our constant fear of crossing the highway will come to an end soon. I leave the house praying for the children’s safety. This school caters to children from about 10 villages. I had started to believe that the authorities were waiting for a tragedy to occur before taking action. Thanks for highlighting the issue and saving the lives of children,” he said.