For over 60 students in Prakasam Vidyaniketan High School, Anand Nagar in Khairatabad, Thursday was a day to mull over their rights. No, it was not about their right to education but about their right to attend school by walk.
“We do not just need safer footpaths, we want walking to be recognised as our right,” Manjula, a class IX student, said.
The students were participating in an event organised by Right to Walk Foundation, in association with The Hindu .
The Right to Walk Foundation team, led by V.V. Prasad, explained the need for road safety and the necessity to ensure proper pedestrian facilities.
The team met an enthusiastic audience who drew their ideas for a ‘pedestrian paradise’.
“I drew a picture of what India will look like when it is fully developed,” Krishna Sai, class VIII student, said. His ‘India’ contained high-rises, well-paved roads and footpaths along with enough green cover complete with pedestrian crossover points.
The children’s enthusiasm was also shared by their principal M. Annapurna. “We will organise another seminar to involve all students in this drive,” she said.
