Students and parents of Sharada Mandir will have to negotiate a virtual war zone like mess when they try and enter the school on Tuesday morning when the school reopens. The school appealed to the government to finish the ambitious road concretizing project before the school reopened and the government assured them. It was obviously a false assurance. The fallout will be visible shortly after you read this in the morning, in front of the Sharada Mandir gates. Glenn Costa reports
The recent discussion over the tearing up and concretizing of the road from Dona Paula to Miramar has missed a side effect probably unimportant in the grand scheme, but nevertheless a very important one. This under construction road is a potential death trap for the schoolchildren of Sharada Mandir school which is surrounded by debris and dangerous pits of the under construction road.
ENTRANCE CHOKED: As it is now the, the road resembles a war zone. And this will only get worse once the rains arrive as the pits will fill up with water and mud will change to sludge.
Parents have only one way to drop the kids. That is stop on the other side of the road and let the kids cross the road and squeeze through a narrow entrance in the fencing, cross a mud patch and reach the school gates.
TREACHEROUS WALK BACK TO MIRAMAR ROUND ABOUT: The bigger problem will arise is the traffic mess when parents drop their kids to school and when they are picking them up. A narrow path has been left for students to exit the school and walk to the Miramar roundabout. This has a mud base which will become sludge as there is mud heaped at the sides. The other option is cross the road weaving through traffic.
SLIPPERY BRIDGE OVER MESSY DEBRIS: Then there is the overbridge option. This has been constructed by the authorities and not used till date. Student and teachers alike have complained that the design is quite bad and it is very tiring to cross it during summer and very dangerous once the rains begin.
School for the students of Sharada Mandir is a nightmare waiting to happen and a self made one at that till the road is completed with the rains almost at their door step.
primary section opening delayed
“We have approached almost every authority pleading to clear the road and we were assured that before reopening of school the mess would be cleared. School is reopening on June 3. Nearly 2000 students would be pouring in. To be cautious on junior students at primary level, we have delayed opening of primary section by a week’s time with a hope that by that time the road would be repaired.
We have now written to traffic police, seeking their help on Tuesday to help us in the chaotic situation
Sharmila Umesh – Principal Sharada Mandir
