Gurugram’s Rainy Day Rules: No Buses On Waterlogged Roads, Children To Stay In Schools If No Safe Route

Schools must also stagger student dispersal wherever required so that buses do not enter affected stretches simultaneously.

Rapid Read

Rapid Read

Summarized by AI.

+

Gurugram: No school buses on waterlogged roads.

Children to stay in school if no safe route.

Public questions practicality of new rules.

More Rapid Read

Like this summary?

Share Your Feedback

Got Question about the News?

Gurgaon Monday Rain: Parents said that despite the early start, school buses remained stuck at Subhash Chowk as late as 4.15 pm.

A day after school buses carrying children were caught in severe waterlogging and traffic congestion for more than five hours following heavy rain on August 24, the Gurugram administration has issued a detailed set of directions aimed at preventing a repeat of the incident during the monsoon.

The order, issued by District Magistrate-cum-Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Gurugram, Uttam Singh, places greater responsibility on traffic police, education authorities, schools, civic agencies and Haryana Roadways to ensure that schoolchildren are not exposed to unsafe roads during heavy rainfall.

Under the new system, the Gurugram Traffic Police will prepare daily reports identifying waterlogged locations on school bus routes and classify them as clear, slow-moving, or waterlogged and to be avoided. These reports will be issued on days when rainfall has occurred during the preceding 12 hours or when an IMD alert is in force.

The traffic police will issue a morning report by 5.30 am, a mid-day report by 10.30 am and an afternoon report by 12.30 pm. In case of an intense spell of rain or if a road becomes impassable, a flash update must be issued within 30 minutes.

Schools will receive these updates through a dedicated communication mechanism. The District Education Officer (DEO) and District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) have been directed to create a WhatsApp broadcast group and bulk SMS/email database covering the heads and transport in-charges of every school in the district. Every traffic report or flash update must be forwarded to schools within 15 minutes without modification.

Importantly, schools have been prohibited from sending buses onto routes officially declared waterlogged. They must instead use notified alternate routes. If no safe alternative is available, students are to remain on the school premises under staff supervision, while parents are informed immediately rather than buses being sent into unsafe conditions.

Schools must also stagger student dispersal wherever required so that buses do not enter affected stretches simultaneously. During heavy rainfall, they have been directed to obtain waterlogging information through the GMDA/MCG helpline and plan dispersal accordingly.

The administration has also tightened rules around drop-off points. No child can be dropped at an unattended or waterlogged bus stop. Children must be handed over only to a parent or an authorised guardian. Every school must appoint a Transport In-charge/Route Safety Officer, with the official’s contact details displayed on the school website and notice board.

For students who do get stranded, a contingency transport mechanism has been put in place. Haryana Roadways has been asked to earmark spare buses and drivers, which will remain on standby on days when an IMD alert is in force or heavy rainfall has occurred. These buses will be positioned at pre-identified locations with all-weather access and can be deployed to move stranded students to their schools or the nearest safe location. No student is to be left unaccompanied during such a transfer.

Traffic police have also been directed to deploy personnel, towing and PCR support at identified choke points on school bus routes during the morning and afternoon dispersal windows. Priority will be given to moving school buses out of affected stretches. Additional resources such as dewatering pumps, cranes, tow vehicles, barricades and buses can also be requisitioned from GMDA and MCG.

Civic agencies have been instructed to give first priority to dewatering school bus routes and areas around school gates during dispersal hours. Nodal officers appointed for waterlogging points must remain physically present during and after rainfall.

Schools have further been told not to use basements or other low-lying areas for student assembly during rainfall, while electrical panels and exposed wiring must be checked before dispersal.

Any incident involving a stranded school bus or a child being placed at risk because of waterlogging must be immediately reported to the GMDA/MCG helpline.

The administration will monitor compliance through weekly joint reviews involving traffic police, education officials, GMDA, Haryana Roadways and MCG. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram, has been designated as the overall monitoring officer.

The directions have come into force with immediate effect and will remain applicable **until September 30, 2026, or until further orders**, underscoring the administration’s attempt to make school transport safer through real-time weather and road information, contingency buses and stricter accountability.

How Long Will Children Stay In Schools? Gurugrammers Question New Rules

The administration’s decision has triggered questions and criticism on social media, with residents asking whether the order addresses the root cause of Gurugram’s recurring waterlogging and traffic chaos.

One X user, Karan Rajpal, described the move as an “extraordinary, remarkable decision” as a jibe, raising a series of practical questions about its implementation. He asked what arrangements would be made for the food of children kept back at school and, if traffic jams continued from afternoon until late at night, “how long will the children have to stay at school?” He also questioned how parents would reach their children if even buses could not navigate flooded roads. In a sarcastic reference, he asked whether parents were expected to arrive by “Pushpak Viman” to take their children home. He further questioned whether helicopters would be available for emergencies if a child fell ill and whether school teachers and staff would effectively be expected to function as disaster-response personnel. He also asked whether authorities had consulted the residents who deal with Gurugram’s waterlogging and traffic problems on a regular basis.

Another user Vishal questioned the practicality of the directive, asking, “If buses will not move then how will kids reach home, or will their parents use air travel mode to pick up their kids?” He argued that the administration should focus on resolving the “real issue” instead of issuing what he called a “useless diktat.”

One user, Jasvinder Kashyap, questioned the approach, arguing that responsibility should instead be fixed on the departments tasked with dealing with waterlogging and traffic management. “Instead of issuing directives to schools, issue directives to departments responsible for these situations,” he wrote, questioning who was responsible for coming up with what he described as “such nonsense directives.”

The criticism points to a larger concern: while preventing school buses from entering waterlogged stretches could reduce the immediate risk to children, parents are asking what happens next if roads remain flooded or gridlocked for several hours. The reactions have also renewed questions over whether Gurugram’s civic agencies need to tackle its recurring drainage, waterlogging and traffic problems more effectively, rather than placing the burden of managing the fallout primarily on schools and parents.

About the Author

Pragati Ratti

Pragati is a News Editor at news18.com. Having headed the Business and Viral sections, Pragati now ideates, writes and edits long-form features and articles on national and global affairs. She ensures…Read More

Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google.

Check US IRAN War Latest News Today

Original source: https://www.news18.com/movies/movie-reviews/