Kolkata: The Kolkata Police have put in place five movable drop gates at Behala Chowrasta where 8-year-old Souraneel Sarkar died after being run over by a truck on Friday.
The police also put barricades at certain points and used ropes to regulate the movement of pedestrians ensuring that they use the zebra crossing while going from one side to another side of the road to curb accidents.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) has decided to bring out an advisory for the teachers about road safety which the latter will inculcate among the students.
According to a senior official in Kolkata Police’s Traffic wing, “no trucks or heavy goods vehicles will be allowed to ply on city roads after 6 am”.
The traffic guards have been asked to make prompt arrangements and move victims of accidents to nearby hospitals at the earliest.
Police will be deployed near every school in the city, particularly during the time of arrival and dispersal of the students. The police have arrested 18 persons in connection with vandalisation and torching of vehicles after the accident. The driver and the helper were arrested on Friday itself.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal who visited the accident site on Saturday said that Kolkata is better in road safety and security in comparison to other metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
“The vehicle cannot be held responsible for an accident all the time. There are lacunae on the part of pedestrians too. We always try to create awareness about road safety among pedestrians. We have plans to create islands in the middle of big roads which will be of immense help to people while they cross them,“ Goyal said.
WBBPE Chairman Goutam Pal said that he has been deeply moved by the tragic accident.
“There are so many primary schools on the roadside. Our teachers need to be aware of road safety and security so that they can educate the students on the same. We are planning to issue an advisory for the teachers regarding this,” Pal said.
Ananda Parishar is observed in the last period in primary schools on every Saturday when students are allowed to pursue activities of their choice. As per plans of WBBPE, this period can be utilized for lessons on road safety.