‘250 Metres of Happiness’: Children In Delhi Turn Roads Outside School Into Fun Zones

A school in South Delhi has come up with an innovative design solution to turn the area around the building into a safe zone. Called ‘250 Metres Of Happiness’, a road stretch just outside the DAV Public School in Vasant Kunj has been redesigned under the pilot project, mostly by children. It aims to create a safer environment for children commuting to and from school.

The “safe corridor” outside the school features table-top crossings, landscaped and shaded waiting areas, murals on the walls, play pockets, a cycling track and a regulated traffic management system.

“Earlier, we didn’t feel safe here because of the vehicles; a few times, they hit some girls. But after the ‘250 Meter of Happiness’ initiative, we feel safe here,” a student said.

This marks India’s first government-led school safety zone under the ‘Safe School Zone Initiative’ launched by the Public Works Department (PWD) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D).

“Actually, when we started the project, Ruchi Tyagi, CEO of (NGO) HumanQind, came to our school as a mentor from NITI Aayog and asked if she could interact with students aged 3 to 6. She began the interactions in class, and it was then that the children showed their ability to think and imagine through these engagements,” said Priyanka Tyagi, Principal of DAV School.

The project benefits nearly 10,000 students from four nearby schools by ensuring a secure journey. The design was conceived by students of DAV Public School, shows their proactive involvement in creating a safer community.

‘Safe School Zone Initiative’ underscores a growing focus on child safety, as India faces an alarming rate of road accidents involving school children. HumanQind highlights the gravity of the issue, noting that 45 students lose their lives daily in road accidents, equating to the loss of an entire classroom each day.