VICTOR BANERJEE

Over the past few weeks we have lost precious lives — of little children in horrific accidents. Although meaningless enquiries that follow point 10 fingers in different directions to accuse and absolve everybody of responsibility, it is my belief that more stringent control from the police department can help minimise such terrible accidents.

This is what I had written to V.V. Thambi, then joint commissioner of police (traffic), on August 24, 1999, after a spate of similar accidents eight years ago...

My recommendations:

• All school buses from January 1, 2000, should be painted yellow. (This has been a long-standing practice in the US and thereafter copied by several countries worldwide).

• The speed limit of school buses should not exceed 35 km/h in the city or town limits and 60 km/h on the highways.

• All schools must submit the licenses of drivers who will drive the school buses (after scrutiny) to the traffic police headquarters in Lalbazaar, irrespective of the fact that the bus will/might be from a contracted transporter. The department will then stamp these licenses for their period of eligibility.

• The police department will have a registered psychologist to interview all such drivers to gauge how they would react to different situations.

• Drivers of school buses must have a minimum of 10 years driving experience.

• All transporters who supply transport for school children must register with the traffic police in Lalbazaar, giving full details of their vehicles and the drivers. The age and maintenance of these vehicles must be superior to normal permissible standards.

• The final approval for all drivers/transporters must come from and be signed by the joint commissioner (traffic).

• No school bus will be permitted to pick up or let off a child except directly alongside the pavement and after coming to a complete halt.

• When a school bus is picking up or dropping off a child in a residential area and is stationary, no overtaking will be permitted. A message to this effect will be boldly painted on the back of the bus — NO OVERTAKING WHEN CHILDREN BOARDING.

• Should a driver of a school bus violate these rules, any citizen will have the right to call a hotline police number and report the offence.

• If a traffic police constable or sergeant is present at the location of the offence, they should be informed and their particulars noted down.

• If a constable or sergeant flouts the law protecting school children and is proven to have been negligent, he or they must be suspended.

• A women’s voluntary force comprising two mothers of school-going children, nominated from each and every school, should be empowered by the traffic department to report all violations and if possible, stop an erring vehicle and warn the driver as well.

With the holiday season approaching and children being driven out to excursions and picnics, it is important that citizens at large are aware of the steps the police plans to take and the regulations it plans to enforce. This will strengthen the hearts and hands of parents and put drivers and transporters on the defensive.

I cannot see any member of the general public objecting to these steps nor can I see any transporters’ union having the gall to say they will not comply.

AMBULANCES:

There can be no doubt that the sight of an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam is a pathetic example of our lack of respect for human life.

I realise not much can be done to solve the problem of traffic snarls in our over-crowded city, but I have a few recommendations that will make ordinary citizens feel that at least the police cares. It will also help improve our (i.e. the public’s) general apathy towards suffering and realise that human life is at stake inside an ambulance.

• It is a common sight to see sergeants lined up with walkie-talkies, for miles, to direct traffic for a passing VIP. This upsets everybody. I wish to recommend that these same officers, when they see an ambulance, should also get on their radios and ensure a safe passage to a patient who might have only seconds or hours to live if left unattended.

• All sergeants on motorbikes, when they see an ambulance, should drop everything else and immediately turn to escort the ambulance through traffic right up to the hospital. Can you imagine how much respect the police will earn from such a gesture?

• A circular should be sent out to all ministers and secretaries at Writer’s Building and all VIPs with red/blue lights and/or sirens fitted to their cars that if they see an ambulance on the road they (if time permits) should offer to escort the ambulance to wherever it is headed, at least as far as possible. I mention this only because their VIP lights and sirens earn more respect from traffic police (and the public) than ambulances ever do.

• Ambulances should be permitted to and instructed to put in much louder sirens than currently made available to them — so the public and police can have a distinct auditory warning of their presence.

VICTOR BANERJEE

Victor Banerjee Children of NGO New Light perform at Mahanayak Uttam Mancha on August 14. Picture by Pabitra Das

New life, new light

New Light, an NGO working on HIV/AIDS prevention and community development issues, in collaboration with Madrid-based NGO Mundo Cooperante made August 14 a special day for children of a lesser god.

The annual carnival of the organisation was held at Mahanayak Uttam Mancha where children of New Light staged dance items and plays.

The event tried to create an impact on the human condition through artistic excellence. The occasion was an opportunity for highlighting the humanitarian profile of the NGO through a blend of Spanish folk, modern and Indian classical dance forms in pieces like the watermelon dance, a rain dance and a special performance by the students of Pandit Chitresh Das. The umbrella dance was a revelation. High in educational content, it was influenced by idiosyncratic Spanish music that both kids and the volunteers enjoyed.

Based in Kalighat, New Light is a social project for disadvantaged children and adolescents residing there. For the last four years they have been working with Mundo Cooperante, who send volunteers to the city as a part of the summer cultural exchange programme, for the kids of New Light.

The annual carnival tries to provide a safe and engaging environment for the children who are residents of red light areas.

Beside its regular educational classes, the creative classes at New Light during the annual carnival provide a participatory forum for a holistic approach to self-realisation and for addressing environmental and social issues.

“We always try and incorporate activities outside the book. This time we chose water world as our carnival theme, where our kids performed with the volunteers, talking about the water cycle and more through dance movements,” said Urmi Basu, executive director of New Light.

Opashona Ghosh
First yr, Mass Communication and Videography, St Xavier’s College