In Khajuri Khas, kids forced to wade through sewage to go to Delhi govt school | Latest News Delhi

For at least a year now, a 800-metre road stretch outside two schools in northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas has been filled with potholes and sewage water despite multiple complaints, forcing many students to skip classes, locals have alleged.

The road in Shri Ram colony has at least two schools located on it — a Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) pre-primary school, which is situated adjacent to Delhi government’s Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya/Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (SBV/SKV).

Hasmat Ali, 42, whose son goes to SBV, said the waterlogging makes it dangerous for students to access the school. “Sometimes, the water is knee-deep,” he said. Another parent Dinesh Kumar, 51, told HT, that one of his children attends the pre-primary school and comes in contact with the sewage water almost on a daily basis.

A senior SBV official said that a transformer is also placed right in front of one of the gates of the school where waterlogging occurs, making it extremely dangerous for everyone. A complaint to relocate the transformer was filed but no action was taken, the official claimed.

When HT visited the spot on Saturday, students could be seen walking along the side of the road, coming into close contact with a drain, while returning from school. “Prolonged waterlogging leads to unhygienic conditions promoting the spread of mosquito-borne diseases…putting students at serious health risk,” said lawyer and activist Ashok Agrawal, adding that he has filed a complaint with multiple authorities, including DDA, MCD and PWD, in this regard.

When contacted, an MCD official said action will be taken soon. “ Depending upon whose jurisdiction the road falls, we will take the necessary action,” the official said.