While getting one’s child ready for school has
become a routine activity, getting them there on time
can be quite a task, especially with the monsoons in
full swing and the traffic in chaos. These concerns, of
course, are not taken into consideration when it comes
to the schools’ rules about punctuality, sending parents
in a mad rush to get their kids there on time. If you
thought that the roads would clear up post the school
rush, think again! These same parents have to then
make their way to work, letting the vehicular chaos on
the streets of Panjim city stay put.
Prachi Kukalekar from Mala-Panjim reaches her son
to People’s School, Panjim. Though a short distance,
she has to leave the house early to be on time. “We
live in Mala which is very close to the school. However,
the most I can do is drop him to school and pick him
up. There is no space for parking. The traffic gets even
more congested close to Mustifund School in Panjim,”
says Prachi.
Tukaram Adkonkar has to drop his son Yash to
Rosary High School, Miramar and he prefers using
either the car or bike, depending on the weather. “The
traffic in the morning is quite smooth but during the
monsoons it gets a bit hectic. There is a system for the
rain; it usually rains very heavily for the first 15 days
and then it decreases over the next few days. When it
rains heavily, I take the car. I dress directly for work so
that I can drop him and proceed to office. The only
problem is the double parking and the buses passing
through the narrow lanes. Otherwise, parents are quite
understanding,” says Tukaram.
Nascita Vaz is a teacher herself and is familiar with
the ordeal parents have to go through in the mornings
to get their children to school. Her day starts with
getting her daughters ready for school, dropping
them and coming back to her school to teach. “I live
in Ribandar and teach in a school here itself. Both my
daughters study at Mary Immaculate High School,
Panjim. Being a teacher, I understand the importance
of being punctual. I have to leave the house at 7:15am
to drop them and reach my school by 8am. If they
reach late, they will have a remark while I will have to
answer to my seniors in school. It used to be a huge
problem taking both of them on the bike in the rains
through the traffic jams,” says Nascita, who has been
teaching for the last six years.
Beryl George is the mother of Delrich, a student
of Don Bosco High School, Panjim. On her way from
Taleigao to Panjim, she had to face the ugly face of
road blocks and traffic jams at different junctions,
including the St Inez junction. Being a Junior Headboy,
Delrich has to be punctual to set an example. “This
year, Delrich has taken up basketball classes in school,
which requires him to be there before his classes.
Earlier, I used to drop him to school but now I have
hired a rickshaw to drop him every day. While coming
back, he takes the combined van to come home,
which is safer. Last year, I had to pick and drop him
and we had to leave early from home. There are no
traffic police near any of the junctions in the morning
and sometimes even in the afternoons, which makes it
very difficult to manage the traffic. Parents bring their
children in big cars on those narrow roads. Parking is
another huge problem and manoeuvring the bikes on
the road filled with potholes can be a huge challenge,”
says Beryl.
