Ghaziabad, Oct 3 : School girls took charge of traffic management in Ghaziabad on Friday, raising awareness about traffic rules among local residents. Organised under the Mission Shakti Abhiyan, the campaign saw young girls managing traffic at the busy Hapur Chungi intersection and issuing challans to drivers violating traffic laws.

Girls from various city schools enthusiastically participated in the campaign, working alongside traffic police to ensure smooth traffic flow. They monitored compliance with traffic rules, helped prevent disruptions, and issued on-the-spot challans to rule-breaking drivers, while educating the public on road safety.

The campaign's primary goal was to promote women's safety and empowerment. As part of the broader Mission Shakti initiative, this traffic operation marked an important step toward empowering young girls and fostering a culture of safety and lawfulness. The students highlighted that such campaigns not only empower women but also contribute to improved law and order in the community.

Local residents lauded the initiative, calling it a positive development. Many expressed hope that continued awareness efforts would lead to better traffic conditions in Ghaziabad.

IANS spoke with some of the participating students about their experience:

Tanushree Yadav said: "We got the opportunity to become traffic police for the day, and we are grateful for it. We also taught people that when there are two people on a motorcycle, both must wear helmets."

Shreya added: "Through this experience, I learned how important helmets are. We issued traffic tickets to violators; some people followed our rules, but others ignored them."

Anshi shared: "We issued tickets to those not wearing helmets and stopped car drivers not using seat belts. We also informed people about the significance of obeying red and green traffic signals."

Mission Shakti is a flagship government scheme aimed at strengthening women's safety, security, and empowerment. It seeks to realise the government's commitment to women-led development by addressing challenges throughout a woman's life cycle and making women equal partners in nation-building through convergence and citizen ownership.

The scheme includes two sub-programmes: 'Sambal' and 'Samarthya'. The Sambal sub-scheme focuses on women's safety and security by integrating existing initiatives such as the One Stop Centre (OSC), Women Helpline (WHL), and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), with enhancements and the addition of a new component, Nari Adalat'a women's collective.

/IANS