HYDERABAD: As many as 300 National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers will be trained by the police to help regulate traffic in the city.
The college students will be tasked with reminding commuters to wear a helmet/seat belt, or avoid signal jumping.
Officials said that they intend to induct NSS volunteers, Bharat Scouts & Guides and Red Cross Society members to create awareness on traffic rules during peak hours.
“Soon, 30,000 NSS volunteers of Hyderabad city will be playing a responsible role as far as community policing is concerned,” said Principal Secretary of Education department Burra Venkatesham.
The initiative was kickstarted on Monday, three weeks after Hyderabad City Commissioner K Sreenivasa Reddy and Venkatesham discussed collaborative efforts to manage traffic in the city.
“In the first phase, 300 NSS volunteers will be familiarised with traffic rules, drills and hands-on training at junctions,” said Additional CP (Traffic) P Viswaprasad.
“There will be three batches, each comprising 100 volunteers who will be trained at the Traffic Training Institute in Goshamahal,” he added.
“In Hyderabad city, over 15,000 challans are being issued for traffic violation every day, but there is no effect of deterrence. Hence, raising awareness and sensitising the public is the need of the hour,” he said.
Police insisted that the services of the college students would be utilised only to regulate traffic and not for enforcement.
“They would be asked to sensitise motorists against triple driving, overspeeding or driving while talking over phones. When traffic violators see youth standing at junctions and promoting rules, they would be ashamed to break the rules,” said city police chief K Sreenivasa Reddy.