Delhi govt asks schools to seek police help on noise, parking woes

The Delhi government has instructed all private and government schools to formally approach the police regarding unauthorised parking and unnecessary honking around educational institutions as part of efforts to curb noise pollution.

In an order issued on Thursday, the Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) directed schools to compile an ‘Action Taken Report’ (ATR) detailing the measures implemented to control noise pollution and submit it by March 3.

This directive follows a letter from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which urged schools to enforce the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2002, by liaising with local police station heads (SHOs) and preparing an ATR.

RN Jindal, Chairperson of Sovereign School in Rohini, highlighted the challenges posed by unauthorised parking near school premises.

“Our school is situated in a residential area, and overnight parking makes it difficult to clean the surroundings in the morning,” he said.

He also pointed out that congestion hampers smooth movement near the school gates.

“We will be writing to the SHOs regarding this issue and hope their intervention brings a resolution,” Jindal added.

Shudha Acharya, Principal of ITL International School in Dwarka, echoed similar concerns, stressing the need for external support to regulate parking around schools.

“Our school security guards do their best to manage parking within the premises. However, unauthorised vehicles parked outside the school often create congestion,” she said.

Acharya noted that locating vehicle owners and requesting them to move their cars is often challenging.

“As per the instructions, we will be reaching out to SHOs for assistance in tackling parking problems and reducing unnecessary honking near the school,” she stated.

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The CPCB has also urged the education department to collaborate with urban local bodies to raise awareness about noise pollution in schools.

Additionally, the department has been asked to support the Department of Environment in organising webinars on the issue.

(With inputs from PTI)