Residents of GK-I, Kailash Colony and Arya Samaj Mandir are up in arms due to the onslaught of Parked Staff Cars and 45 minutes of total Chaos four times a day, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon for opening and closing of Senior and Junior Schools. The problem has been brewing for the past few years, when after Covid School Management ordered Staff and Students to park their Cars & Two Wheelers outside the School, thus freeing up space for construction of another institution within the boundary of Summer Fields School.
To add to the woes residents complained that School Authorities constructed another Large Entry Gate deeper into the narrow residential lane for the New World School. They also cordoned off the pavement along school boundary for parking and put-up barricades preventing even residents to enter the lane.
Irate residents approached their RWAs to intervene and the matter has been taken up with Police on number of occasions. Past meetings with the Management did not bring any relief, save for Multiple Untrained & Uncouth Guards manning Traffic ineffectively. At their wits end GKRA & RVKC requested SHO to arrange a meeting with Director/Owner of the school as previous meetings with Management and Principal were unfruitful. On the appointed day of his choosing the owner did not turn up and again sent some Mid-Level Staff to meet the Senior Office Bearers of Ten RWA’s.
A walkout by RWA’s was contained at the request of SHO Ajit Kumar Upadhayay, in the meeting the staff was categorically told that they ensure all school vehicles be made to park inside the school and offloading of children should take place within the boundary wall and not outside on the road as is the rule for schools. This was agreed to but never implemented, RWA’s taking up cudgels, erected their own boom barrier with instructions to staff not allow any vehicle beyond, other than that of a resident, car stickers were also issued.
At this stage Area Councillor Shikha Rai intervened and ordered demolition of the Newly Constructed Gate, MCD staff in their wisdom (read warming up to money bags) also demolished the RVKC Boom Barrier. The matter is now being escalated to Education Directorate as to how a neighbourhood School within a Residential Colony is being allowed unbridled expansion with not just additional sections but also multiple separate Institutions within the boundary. More pathetic is the vacant land for play fields (some of it allegedly encroached public land) has been sub-leted to an event management company to conduct sports coaching late into the night under huge flood lights.
by Rajiv Kakria (9810275168)
