A drain passes through this govt school

NEW DELHI: An open drain that passes through a government school in West Delhi is endangering the lives of hundreds of students.

The drain passes through the school playground and there is no boundary wall between the two. The drain was covered with concrete slabs but almost half of them were broken a year ago during the construction of water tank in the school. It is flowing open ever since.

In February, two school children died after falling in open water tanks in their schools. The parents are apprehensive that a similar accident might occur at the Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in West Patel Nagar too.

Since the drain is located close to the primary wing, teachers have to be deployed around the space to prevent a child from falling into it.

“From the area councillor to the municipal authorities and the education department, we have written to everybody about the problem,” said Jawahar Lal Sharma, headmaster. He said he was trying to expedite the process of covering the drain.

A fight over under whose jurisdiction the drain falls between the Delhi government and the municipal corporation is also causing delay.

The school says the drain falls under the jurisdiction of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, as it used to repair the drain cover. But the Rajesh Bhatia, deputy chairman of the north body standing committee, said he was not sure if the drain was their responsibility.

The school management committee (SMC) members have appealed to both the councillor and the area MLA to get the drain covered.

“It concerns the safety of the children. If a child falls into the drain, who will be responsible for that?” said Suryakant Thakur, an SMC member.

The education department officials say that they are aware of the matter and soon initiate action.

“Officers have visited the spot. We are trying to find a permanent solution to this problem,” said an official in the district education department.