Mysore: The Mysore city police on Saturday upped the ante in their drive to enforce the traffic norms by assisting the schoolchildren get back home safely.

Hours after the auto and van drivers, who ferried the school kids to school struck work, they pitched in picking up the waiting kids and dropping them back home. Indicating that they will not back down in their drive to enforce the norm that the autos should not carry more than six kids and vans ten per trip, the police used the vehicles available with them and dropped the students back home. Early morning the parents and family members dropped the students to the schools across the city leading to congestion near the educational institutions. Within three hours later, the police took up the challenge thrown at them and pressed into services the resources available with them.

“We acted on our own. Neither the educational institutions nor the parents asked us for assistance. This was the help the students,” a senior police official told The Sunday Times of India indicating that they will not cow down by the protests.

This comes ahead of the CM Siddaramaiah’s visit to the city on Sunday when the protesting drivers are expected to meet him and take up the issue. In June when the Mysore city police had announced to enforce the norm, a section of the drivers had taken the issue to the CM and had protested before his residence. Siddaramaiah had intervened and directed the police chief M A Saleem to look into the issues raised by the protestors leading to postponement of the drive. But the cops have started to enforce the norms leading to the deadlock.

The district administration has stepped into the resolve the brewing crisis as the DC S Palaiah has called a meeting with the drivers on Monday afternoon while there are indications that the protesting drivers could continue their protest on Monday and are planning to complain to the CM.