Gurgaon: Parents in the city have launched a petition seeking urgent safety measures for students and residents during monsoon, after severe waterlogging was witnessed on Aug 24 that left thousands of schoolchildren stranded in buses for hours. The petition, started by parent Pratibha Rao on Change.org on Aug 25, received 15,858 verified signatures by Thursday, including 2,456 collected that day alone. A group of parents also met the deputy commissioner (DC) on Thursday to discuss the issue.The petition describes the ordeal faced by children left tired, scared, hungry and thirsty as buses remained stuck amid waterlogged roads and traffic chaos. In one reported case, a Class II student who left school in Sector 47 at 12.30pm reached home in Sector 51 only at 8.30pm, after being stuck in traffic for more than seven hours. The incident, along with several other school buses caught in Monday’s heavy rain, has intensified concerns over communication between schools and parents, route planning, and the ability of authorities to respond quickly when roads become impassable.The petition calls for better coordination between the district administration, schools, transport operators and parents so that clear emergency protocols can be activated quickly during heavy rain. It also seeks improvements to drainage systems along major school routes, arguing that poor road conditions, potholes and waterlogging put not just schoolchildren but also residents, ambulances and other emergency vehicles at risk. It further demands accountability for lapses, regular emergency-response training for school bus drivers, and buses equipped with emergency phones, drinking water and basic first-aid supplies — along with immediate preventive measures to prevent a repeat during the ongoing monsoon.The demand for accountability follows a similar waterlogging crisis on July 8, which parents say should already have prompted lasting fixes. Ruchika, one of the parents behind the petition, said the district administration’s latest response is welcome but insufficient on its own. “The Aug 24 situation was preventable and predictable. The July 8 crisis should have led to the necessary SOPs and contingency arrangements being put in place. The new SOP is welcome, but parents would also like to know what was already supposed to be in place, who was responsible for ensuring compliance and why those measures were not enough,” she said.Ruchika said parents intend to seek meetings with MCG commissioner as well, given the roles in district-level coordination, school transport, child safety, drainage, dewatering and waterlogging-related infrastructure are shared by him with the DC. She added that parents also plan to question how effectively the 2014 Surakshit School Vahan Policy is being monitored and enforced. “The policy has existed for years. The question is who checks daily compliance and what happens when gaps are found,” she said.Ruchika said inspections conducted in July had reportedly identified safety gaps, including issues related to GPS tracking and emergency exits, which should have prompted a closer assessment of school transport operators’ overall preparedness. “Given Gurgaon’s well-known waterlogging problem, there should also have been a clear contingency plan for what schools and bus operators were expected to do if buses became stranded. If deficiencies had already been identified, the administration needed to ensure they were addressed before another crisis occurred,” she said.District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued directions on Tuesday to the traffic police, education officials, schools, GMDA, MCG, Haryana Roadways and other agencies to prevent school buses and students from getting stranded during heavy rain. Under the order, traffic police will send schools daily reports classifying school-bus routes and waterlogging points as clear, slow-moving or unsafe, with morning, midday and afternoon updates, plus flash alerts within 30 minutes of intense rainfall or a route becoming impassable. The district education officer/district elementary education officer must forward every traffic report to all schools — govt, private, aided and recognised — within 15 minutes, through dedicated WhatsApp, SMS or email groups.Schools have been directed not to send buses through waterlogged routes, to use alternate routes where available, and to retain students on campus under staff supervision if no safe route exists. They have also been told to stagger dispersal timings, ensure staff escorts on every bus, prevent children from being dropped at unattended or waterlogged stops, and inform parents in advance of any route or timing changes. Separately, the district administration has directed that spare buses be kept ready for rescue operations and that school routes be given priority for dewatering.Parents behind the petition have welcomed these measures but argue they fall short of what’s needed. They say long-term preparedness, stronger infrastructure and clearly defined accountability are required, rather than measures introduced only after a crisis, and are urging authorities, schools and transport departments to work together to overhaul monsoon safety arrangements so that children are not again left stranded for hours in unsafe conditions.
