Open Trench Outside School Puts Children at Risk
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Nagpur: As the new academic year began on Monday, students of Keshav Nagar Primary and Secondary School in East Nagpur were greeted not with books and celebration, but a dangerous stretch of road right outside their school gate.
A large, water-filled trench—left unattended amid ongoing infrastructure work—posed risks to the safety of schoolchildren and their parents.
Located near Jagnade Square, the school witnessed scenes of chaos as students in uniform navigated around a gaping pit, cordoned off haphazardly with plastic barricades. With no proper signage, safety rails, or clear pathways, children were forced to squeeze past the excavation site while vehicles and pedestrians competed for space on the flooded street.
The MRIDC is carrying out flyover construction work, which has already narrowed down the available road space.
Adding to the woes, the left side of the road portion is dug up for some utility works. "The trenches were not covered fully. This is extremely dangerous, especially for younger children. One slip could result in serious injury," said a parent waiting outside the gate. Several others echoed the sentiment, slamming civic authorities for carrying out road and drainage work without implementing basic safety measures.
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Local residents pointed out the site was in this condition for several days, with little to no visible progress. "The trench keeps collecting water, and mosquitoes have already started breeding here. Apart from being an accident risk, it's also a major health hazard," said Vaibhav Deshmukh, a parent.
Despite repeated warnings from citizen groups about the need to barricade work zones, ensure proper lighting, and provide alternate walkways near schools, the response from the authorities has been sluggish. Neither the entrusted contractor responsible for the work has put up any cautionary boards or guards to guide schoolgoers.
"If this is how civic works are planned near a school, one can imagine the state of safety standards elsewhere," said a teacher who guided students through the narrow gap beside the trench.
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