Illegal parking is bane outside Rustomjee school in Borivli

Parents on bikes add to the chaos.

The road outside Rustomjee International School turns into an uncivilised nightmare every day before and after school hours. One can see commuters fuming about being stuck in the seemingly endless traffic jam in front of the school, sometimes for even up to an hour.

When mid-day strolled around the place, it was clear that other than illegal parking on the sides of the road and broken footpaths, the parents, too, were to blame as they came in private vehicles and stopped in front of the gates. Also, the school needs a better system in place to not only lessen the burden on traffic but also save children from potential accidents.

Vans stop close to the school gates until all the children get off, causing a jam here

BMC isn't entirely blameless in this. It's inability to keep the roads from the clutches of encroachments by auto drivers. The school is located on the main road of Rustomjee Acre but sadly, both roadsides have been taken over by autos, two- and four-wheelers that have narrowed the lanes to such an extent that even school buses have to squeeze through.

A parent, seeking anonymity, said, "On one side, these autos are parked till the end of the lane, while on the other, residential vehicles are stationed. This makes the lanes so narrow. Sometimes, school buses struggle to take a turn. Thanks to this, vehicles coming from behind can't pass. We have told the school authorities about it, but so far, nothing has happened."

Autos parked on both sides of the road, forc school buses, vans to move in the narrow space in between. Pics/Satej Shinde

What's more, there are two car-wash companies operating on the road, where customers' cars are parked. Adding to the general chaos here is the lack of a security guard to guide children across the road. "The school gate opens out on to the road. So, after school gets over, students rush out adding to the road blockage. There is need for a more disciplinary measures from the school," said another parent.

Broken footpaths here force children to walk in the middle of traffic

And, as private buses aren't allowed inside, they have to park inside. They drop and pick up children from the road which again causes traffic jams. Parents, too, don't follow traffic rules. Those who come on two-wheelers ride against traffic with children behind them. Also, they drop the children exactly in front of the gates which again blocks the entrances and then stop to chat with the kids, adding to the congestion.

The school administration was not available for comment on the situation. When a mid-day reporter approached the school, the administration staff asked for the query to be submitted through email. But, there was no response to the email sent, despite several attempts.

Problems
' Illegal parking along sides of the roads.
' No guard to guide the students while crossing
' Parents blocking gates while dropping students
' Private school buses obstruct the entrance

VOICES
Shruthi Agarwal,
Resident
'Autos are illegally parked along the roadside, which makes the space to walk very narrow. During school hours, we have to dodge the parked autos to make sure we don't injuring ourselves scraping the sides if the autos. Also, as the footpaths are broken students have to walk on the road which is extremely dangerous.'

Narendra Mehta,
Shopkeeper
'Every day, we see how children struggle to walk on the broken footpaths. Once, a girl fell and twisted her ankle right in front of me. As children rush in and out of school, they often fall and hurt themselves. Why is the BMC not fixing this?'

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