Karnataka HC Suggests Modifying Office and School Hours To Prevent Traffic Jams

The High Court of Karnataka has recommended that the State Government investigate the potential of changing the hours of educational institutions as well as other industries and corporate organizations after hearing a public interest lawsuit over the worsening traffic situation in Bengaluru.

The Secretary of Industries and Labour should call a meeting of the representatives of industries, factories, the Chamber of Commerce, and others and seek their opinion on revising the timings in factories, commercial enterprises, and other workplaces, the HC bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit stated during the most recent hearing of the PIL on Tuesday.

 

Similarly, “The State Government may call a meeting of the stakeholders through the Secretary of School Education and Higher Education and may take up the issue of revisiting the school timings, so as to ease the traffic and at the same time consider the aspect of security and safety of the children,” the HC said.

 

Samarpana Trust filed a PIL in 2020 asking for the Supreme Court’s 2014 order to prevent traffic jams in cities to be put into effect. A particular request for scientific traffic management between Mekhri Circle and the BDA headquarters was included in the PIL.

 

The HC also ordered the authorities to submit a project study on the Namma Metro line extension in 2023–2024 on Tuesday.

 

The PIL hearing was postponed by six weeks, and it was ordered that the state government provide a status and action-taken report on the measures done to improve the traffic issue.