Karnataka School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa reportedly said that the Congress government is seriously considering changing school timings in light of traffic congestion in Bengaluru.
The minister named the Bengaluru Traffic Police, parents, private school managements, the school vehicle drivers’ association, and various departments as stakeholders with whom detailed discussions will be held on the matter.
Bengaluru city witnesses horrible traffic congestion, particularly in the morning and evening hours, when school vans and other vehicles carrying students hit the roads. The general idea is to ensure peak office-going hours and school timings do not collide so that the traffic rush can be reduced.
To make this happen, the best option is to alter school timings by around 30 minutes to one hour, TV9 Kannada said in a report. This could also ensure better student safety while reducing traffic during peak hours, the concerned authorities believe.
The minister reportedly clarified that a final decision will be taken only after gathering the views of all stakeholders. Notably, the Karnataka High Court had earlier advised the state government to make appropriate changes to school and office timings to regulate traffic, TV9 Kannada said.
Minister Bangarappa had earlier said more than one crore children come under the Education Department and that he was working to bring improvements to the state’s education system. According to reports, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar harbours the dream of constructing a 17-km tunnel road network beneath Bengaluru from Hebbal to the Silk Board junction.
The proposal envisions a network of underground express corridors designed to move vehicles quickly across the city while reducing congestion on surface roads. Various estimates have placed the cost at anywhere from ₹17,000 crore to ₹40,000 crore, making it one of the most expensive urban infrastructure projects ever proposed in Karnataka.
