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Road to perdition

One year after Ritika, have things changed for school children, SERISH NANISETTI finds out

PHOTO: MOHD YOUSUF

WE HONK, WE DON'T STOP Traffic cops have a handful managing a smooth passage for children as motorists act edgy.

One August Thursday just like this one with the clouds playing hide and seek, a DCM Toyota van roared down the S.P. Road and the driver honked and ran over a four-year-old girl and two of her friends and a van driver.

One girl died on the spot, her name was N. Ritika, the van driver also died after 20 days; his name was Dastgir Pasha. Everything happened in a flash at 1 p.m. that fateful day.

While for Ritika it is sleep and a nightmare for her parents, one year down the lane things have changed and haven't for Hyderabad's school children.

Near St. Ann's School, there are five policemen in white creating a corridor for children to cross the road and get onto the autorickshaws and vans at 2.15 p.m.

As the children walk, amble and kick up dust, the fender-to-fender honking traffic backs up for yards on the S. D. Road (the gate which opens to S.P. Road on which Ritika died has been closed). The change ends there.

The debate over the Foot-Over-Bridge that began here has not borne fruit. The bus bay banner about Ritika has been replaced with Veedhi's poster.

"My daughter studies in this school, but my son goes to St Andrews. The traffic near other schools is disorderly. Obviously, the police cannot post five cops near each school. There has to be a different solution for this problem," says N. Vijitha, who came to pick up her daughter.

"I know the police is trying to help with their staggered timings for schools, more traffic cops during school rush hour, but frankly I am scared. Children are so frisky and the traffic so chaotic that things keep happening," says Madhavi who has two school going children.

P. Srinivas, a van driver, waits for his wards. "I am scared about myself and my family after learning about Dastgir Pasha. I don't know how his wife is eking out a living in Pattigada," he says.

One year later

Drive on and reach the Government Degree College and face the monstrosity of a foot-over-bridge. This is the first sign of a real change, though people have to climb up and down 66 steps with six twists and turns, there are no jay walkers on the broad road.

But the Rathifile-Uppal bus junction is another story. One of the busiest traffic sections as all Secunderabad rail and bus users have to negotiate it, there is no foot-over-bridge here.

So, as people swarm on the road like a river in spate, huge lumbering buses move on and two-wheelers create ripples of chaos with their honking and revving engines. Some of them sure have school going children.

Why is it that the most caring, concerned parent becomes a raving, honking maniac in a hurry at the wheel?

We don't know and till we solve the puzzle there would be more Ritikas on the road.

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