Incomplete monsoon work in front of Bopal schools in Ahmedabad are a risk for children
Many Amdavadis may be heaving a sigh of relief looking at the clouds hovering over the city. But some parents in the city, particularly those whose children study in schools in the Bopal area, are dreading the impending rains, when they look down at the shoddy road work under their feet.
The unfinished work on road construction, drainage line and water distribution network by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) near schools in Bopal has left a question mark over the safety of thousands of school children in the area.
Ideally, under its monsoon action plan, the civic body was to complete the digging and resurfacing of roads before the first spell of monsoon, to avoid any unfortunate incidents.
But it seems the Auda was late in waking up to the dangers that such unfinished work posed for the residents of Bopal.
The negligence of Auda in resurfacing the road after the digging work near Tejas School, BK Higher Secondary School and Satva Vikas School in Thaltej, pose grave danger to the both citizens and school children.
The lack of resurfacing means that the land which is filled with mud may cave in during a heavy spell of rain. It should be noted that some of these dangerous spots are just near the entry point of schools, putting the safety of children at high risk.
Bakul Gajjar, whose child studies in a Bopal school, said the authorities knew that monsoon was about set and yet they did not chart out plans to ensure a safe rainy season. "Such shoddy work cannot be tolerated. Auda should have finished the work before monsoon and removed the pile of sand from near the school. Now, it will create a problem for everybody," he said.
Auda officials on their part say that it is not possible to construct roads in areas where drainage network and initial work for building a road has not been done.
Moreover, they said that once the basic work for constructing a road is completed, it is left open for some time for watering as this prevents formation of potholes once the road in constructed.
"After we received complaints from citizens, we have ordered that the work on catch-pits be immediately finished," said executive engineer in Auda, MK Patel.
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