Drone surveillance begins around Hyderabad schools to focus on student safety; CCTV cameras in all school vehicles suggested

Hyderabad City Police address student safety concerns, enforce transport regulations, and promote carpooling for safer school commutes.

The Hyderabad City Police conducted a meeting with school managements, transport coordinators, and drivers at Ravindra Bharathi on Thursday (June 19, 2025) to address issues related to the safety of students during their daily commute. The meeting focused on enforcing transport regulations, reducing traffic congestion near schools, and ensuring accountability among all stakeholders.

The commissioner of police C.V. Anand addressed the gathering and said that student safety is a shared responsibility between school managements, the police, transport officials, and parents. He made it clear that if any incident involving a student occurs within 200 metres of a school campus, the institution’s management will be held responsible. He urged schools to allow regular inspection of buses, implement strict boarding and alighting procedures, and install CCTV and dashboard cameras in all school vehicles to monitor both drivers and attendants.

Additional commissioner of police (Traffic) Joel Davis highlighted the need for proper parking spaces and urged schools to lease designated areas to reduce congestion. He also requested the installation of CCTV cameras at school entrances to monitor daily activity. He mentioned that traffic police now use drones to capture visuals of school zones. These visuals will first be shared with the school management as a warning before further action is taken.

He also highlighted the rising concern of minor driving and revealed that over 400 such cases had already been identified. He warned that minors caught driving would not be eligible for a driving licence until they turn 25. He further said that parents allowing such violations may face cancellation of vehicle registration, and even jail time. The officer said that during an inspection on Wednesday (June 18, 2025), 14 school vehicle drivers were found to be under the influence of alcohol. He instructed school managements to use breath analysers for regular checks.

The officials encouraged schools to adopt staggered timings, especially in areas where multiple schools operate in close proximity. They also promoted carpooling as a practical solution to reduce the number of private vehicles during peak hours. A city-backed carpooling app developed by the Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC) was introduced, offering features like verified user rides, live tracking, and private communication within the app.

The police also outlined plans to expand the “Safe School” pilot project, which currently operates in seven institutions, to more schools across the city. Through this initiative, police will work closely with school staff and students to implement road safety measures and awareness programmes.

Meanwhile, officers from the Transport department announced that within the next two years, only electric buses would be permitted to operate within the Outer Ring Road (ORR). Diesel buses will be restricted to operate outside the ORR limits as part of the city’s long-term environmental and safety policy.