THANE: To mitigate students’ commuting woes during the board exam period, Thane traffic police have deployed 54 traffic constables on motorcycles across the Thane police commissionerate.
Police officials said students or their parents can seek assistance by sharing their live location through the traffic control helpline, WhatsApp, or any of the 18 traffic units. A traffic constable on a bike will reach the location and drop them at the examination centre so that they are not delayed due to traffic congestion or vehicle breakdowns.
A similar initiative was implemented last year, when 32 policemen on bikes assisted 34 board examination students who were stuck in traffic.
The traffic police anticipate congestion during peak hours with several roadworks, metro construction, and highway projects underway. An advisory has also been issued to heavy vehicle operators to avoid city roads between 10am and 11am during the examination period, and violation will be met with strict action, police said.
The SSC and HSC examinations begin on February 10 and February 20, respectively. Under the Thane police commissionerate, there are 223 examination centres for Class 10 and 126 centres for Class 12 students.
Pankaj Shirsat, deputy commissioner of traffic police said, “We are taking all necessary precautions and making preparations to avoid traffic congestion during the examination season. However, if unavoidable congestion occurs, our officials are deployed to pick up and drop students to their examination centres on bikes. Three policemen with bikes will be available at each of the 18 traffic police units across Thane police commissionerate.” He added that traffic police personnel will respond immediately to road-related issues during the examination period to ensure students reach their centres safely.
Each of the 18 traffic police units will have three bikes with riders on standby. Assistance will be available through the Traffic Control Helpline numbers : 8286300300 and 8286400400, and the Traffic Control WhatsApp number: 7039003866.