How Rakshaks Are Improving a High-Risk 270-Metre Stretch in Varanasi

A road that never rests

Some roads announce their danger loudly — with wrecked vehicles, sirens and headlines. Others are quieter. They carry risk in everyday moments: a hurried step back from traffic, a child tugged closer by the hand, a rider braking just in time. The Gurubagh–Bhelupur stretch in Varanasi is one such road.

This stretch sits at the intersection of daily life. Vinayak Hospital stands nearby. So does the Faculty of Education at BHU. Students hurry through it, patients and caregivers cross it, shopkeepers open and close shutters, rickshaws idle, and commuters cut through — hour after hour, day after day. Traffic flows in from multiple directions, especially at a Y-shaped junction where vehicles merge without clear guidance.

What the records revealed

When Team WorkWizards, led by Anurag Prakash (IIT-BHU), examined police FIR data, the unease felt on the street found confirmation on paper. Between September 2024 and March 2025, multiple serious crashes were officially recorded on this short stretch. The victims were mostly pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. The locations clustered around the junction. The causes repeated themselves: overspeeding, poor visibility and the absence of safe crossing points.

Listening to the street

Numbers alone don't capture fear. The team spoke to students, residents, shopkeepers, rickshaw drivers, pedestrians and traffic police. The message was strikingly consistent: speed was the biggest concern. Crossing near the hospital or educational buildings felt risky, especially during peak hours. Blind spots, unclear junction geometry and the constant need to "guess" what drivers might do next were named repeatedly.

What the audit revealed

A detailed road safety audit tied everything together. Despite heavy pedestrian movement, there were no designated crossings. Warning and regulatory signs were sparse or absent. The Y-junction geometry created blind spots that reduced reaction time. Vehicle speeds were incompatible with what is, in reality, a hospital and education zone. The conclusion was hard to ignore: this road was routinely placing people in avoidable danger.

• No footpath continuity

  Pedestrians spill onto the carriageway every 30–40 metres.
• Blind exits

  Side lanes meet the corridor with zero advance visibility.
• Mixed vehicle speeds

  E-rickshaws at 15 km/h share lane with two-wheelers at 50 km/h.
• No safe crossings

  Hospital and school users cross between parked vehicles.

Small changes, big difference

Grounded in crash data, audit findings and community input, the team proposed simple, proven interventions:

• Speed breakers & rumble strips

  Placed before conflict points to cap free-running speed.
• Convex mirrors

  At every blind exit to address junction blind spots.
• Reflective signage

  Clear markers for speed limits and nearby hospital and school zones.
• Continuous footpath

  Re-cast the footpath with bollards and zero gaps.
• Lighting

  Pole-mounted LEDs covering the full stretch.
• Pedestrian crossings

  Marked, illuminated crossings near hospital and BHU access points.

From findings to action

Once the team confirmed that the stretch fell under Nagar Nigam jurisdiction, they took their findings to the relevant authorities. What helped move things forward was the proposal's clarity — a clear link between data, everyday experience on the street, and realistic, low-cost solutions. With risks clearly articulated and interventions well within administrative feasibility, the recommendations received approval, marking a crucial step from analysis to on-ground action.

Why this matters

The Work Wizards and the CFI team will keep following up until these changes are no longer just plans on paper, but real protections on the road. Through Project Rakshak, every high-risk section is studied, every danger mapped, and every solution designed with evidence and local insight. Success isn't measured in reports — it's measured in streets made safer, in lives protected before accidents happen. This 270-metre stretch will still connect Gurubagh to Bhelupur, but now it will demand nothing from its users but safe passage.