3 min readChandigarhApr 29, 2026 12:38 AM IST
The Chandigarh Estate Office has warned schools of “appropriate action” if they don’t modify their parking, which is compelling parents to pick and drop off students on roads, leading to traffic jams and other safety issues.
Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav while speaking to The Indian Express said, “schools will be instructed to remove all encroachments and violations in areas designated for parking within a period of one month, failing which appropriate action will be initiated”.
A meeting was also held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh, to review and strengthen the implementation of the Safe Transportation Policy for Students (STRAPS) across all private educational institutions in the Union Territory (UT).
During the meeting, officials mentioned that several schools have altered or amended their layouts without obtaining approval for the Revised Building Plan (RBP).
In many instances, designated parking spaces, as per approved building plans, have been converted into classrooms, playgrounds, courts, or other uses. This has resulted in a shortage of parking within school premises, making it difficult to facilitate safe boarding and de-boarding of students inside the campus, officials said. As a consequence, traffic congestion is being witnessed outside school premises, with parents and guardians compelled to pick up and drop off students on public roads.
According to the STRAPS policy, schools with internal parking must ensure that students are picked up and dropped off within the school premises. And where this is not feasible, a properly demarcated area outside the premises must be designated for boarding and de-boarding. However, several schools are not following this provision.
For traffic management, the policy mentions that schools are required to deploy their own manpower to regulate traffic around the premises during opening and closing hours, ensuring one-way traffic flow so that students are not required to cross roads.
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“The Estate Office has been directed to ensure strict compliance with the approved revised building plans. Schools will be instructed to remove all encroachments and violations in areas designated for parking within a period of one month, failing which appropriate action will be initiated against defaulters,” the directions issued in this regard have said.
Further, the Director of School Education has been directed to issue instructions to all schools with available parking facilities to ensure that boarding and de-boarding of students takes place strictly within the school premises.
It was also highlighted that, as per lease conditions of many educational institutions, 15 per cent of seats are to be allocated free of cost to students belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). Officials of the Estate Office have been directed to verify compliance with this provision across all lessee schools and submit a detailed report accordingly.
