The Meghalaya High Court has suggested that government officials should meet parents and school authorities to try to persuade them to avail school buses and allay their apprehensions on security and delay.
“These visits have to be to each school. The State should also explore whether staggering the inflow and outflow of students in each school and staggering the timings of schools located in close proximity may ease the congestion in the locality,” the division bench of the High Court said while taking up the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by local lawyer Philip Khrawbok Shati regarding traffic jam in Shillong.
The court made the suggestion after it was informed about the low level of response to the measures tried by the government to ply more school buses especially in Laitumkhrah area where most of the schools are concentrated.
Advocate General Amit Kumar informed that the construction of the Western By-Pass and other proposed roads are going on.
He also told the court that more than 70 per cent of households in Shillong own at least one vehicle and considering the hilly terrain and the high number of vehicles, there is traffic congestion.
Meanwhile, the High Court asked the State government to utilise the help of experts available in the field on how to tackle traffic congestion in the city.
It also asked the State government to explore all avenues to ease the current traffic problem in Shillong.
“Though the matter has been pending for a considerable period of time and new ideas are bandied each time, there have to be long-term and short-term plans on a more detailed basis than what has been presented thus far. Funds may be a problem, but there are national and international agencies that may be tapped and some kind of private-public partnership may also be explored for the purpose,” the High Court said while listing the matter for hearing on June 24.
