The Odisha State Human Rights Commission (OSHRC) has directed the State Government to take steps for safety and security of the students regulating the traffic under the Student Traffic Volunteer Scholarship (STVS) scheme.
The OHRC has asked the Home Chief Secretary and the DGP to take measures for the student traffic volunteers.
The directive came on Saturday on an application filed by lawyers Biswapriya Kanungo and Bijay Kumar Panda on July 18.
The petitioners had appealed to the commission to direct the authorities to implement the rules that are applicable for other Government employees also in case of the student traffic volunteers.
The application was filed mentioning that all Government employees have been brought under the safety and security scheme coverage since 1964. The rule was also implemented from 2003 in case of Home Guards.
The petitioners asked the commission why the rule was not implemented for the student traffic volunteers working with the Commissionerate police from 2014.
Though huge amount of penalties collected by the student traffic volunteers is being transferred to the State Exchequer, yet the Government is yet to show concern for their basic rights, the lawyers said in the petition.
The student traffic volunteers are engaged in all the seasons to control vehicular movements at major traffic intersections in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
If the student traffic volunteers meet with any kind of accident or they are attacked, they should be covered under the safety and security system, they pleaded.
Notably, the STVS scheme was first launched in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in January 2017 engaging college and university students to assist the traffic police personnel in controlling traffic.