The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : You learn only from experience

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 17, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

You learn only from experience

S. Vydhianathan

DOING THEIR BIT: Students regulating traffic in front of Dr. MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for women, Chennai. — Photo: M. Karunakaran

CHENNAI: This is true for students of Dr. MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women at R.A.Puram in the city.

Some time back a student of the college fractured her leg as she was hit by a two-wheeler while crossing the Durgabai Deshmukh road on which the college is situated.

College authorities, who felt that the increasing traffic on the road was posing a threat to students, approached the local police with a request to post more police personnel for regulating the traffic near their institution during peak hours. Police, who expressed helplessness to post extra staff, however suggested that college students themselves could take up the traffic regulation with training.

After a 10-day training by the city traffic police, 30 NSS volunteers of the college are now involved in managing traffic near the college for the past one and a half years. Six students at a time stand on the middle and on both sides of the road to control trafficin the morning as well as evening, said M.M.A. Viola, the NSS coordinator. Initially, there were some opposition from bus, car and two-wheeler drivers, as they felt that the students were creating unnecessary traffic jam. But later they realised that regulation of traffic at that point was necessary and were now willingly oblige the students. The students were posted in rotation. After taking up the traffic control, students were able to reach college safely and road users were also happy, as they were able to cross the point without any difficulty.

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