Wall blocks access to schools

Children have to walk through heaps of garbage after construction of compound

A child returning from school walks past heaps of garbage and filth on the road.

By Rutvick Mehta

BANGALORE (Oct. 13)—In a conflict between the management and employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., it is schoolchildren who are suffering the most as a wall blocks all roads leading to their schools.

A wall was constructed around two years ago in the HAL residential quarters by the management in front of two schools—Sacred Heart Girls High School and St. Thomas Primary School. As a result, the children of these and other schools in the area have to walk through a slum on a filthy, garbage-strewn road. The only other option for them is to walk a distance of around two kilometers along the heavily congested HAL Main Road.

Ravi Kumar, a resident of the quarters, told The SoftCopy: “Before the wall was constructed, children had to walk for just two minutes to reach school. Now, they either have to go along the main road or through the slum, where the roads are filled with garbage. It is not safe for small children to walk through it, and during monsoons it becomes worse.”

The compound that was constructed in front of the schools.

‘Wall was built to ensure safety’

HAL management told The SoftCopy the wall was constructed as the people living in the slums adjacent to the quarters created a nuisance for its employees living there. Youngsters from the slums used to come and play on their grounds, and there were cases of theft in the quarters, said M. Thimmaiah, senior manager of human resources in the works and facility management department.

“The compound has been built to stop the nuisance and ensure safety,” Thimmaiah said. “The people living in the quarters, including schoolchildren, have to now use the main gate to enter and exit the quarters. All other gates have been blocked. But it was necessary to build the compound for the safety of the people."

The land on which the slum was built was previously owned by HAL, but was taken over by the state government around 20 years ago. The slum is not properly maintained, with piles of garbage and filth lying on its roads, which the children have to walk along.

Residents want a gate put in wall

The residents of the quarters say they do not have a problem with the wall being there. Their demand is that HAL management construct a small gate in the wall and keep it open in the morning and evening for the children to use. They submitted a memorandum HAL requesting this in June 2010.

Manohar, president of Hindustan Aeronautics Employees Association, said: “I received a memorandum signed by 150 residents to make a small gate in that wall. I have forwarded it to the management. As per my knowledge, they have formed a fact-finding committee to look into the issue. Only once they submit the report can we take a decision.”

Manohar said the residents’ demand was being examined and that the union could not take a “unilateral decision” on the matter.

During monsoons, the situation gets worse.

Schoolchildren’s health, safety at risk

“It causes a lot of problems for us,” said Dheeraj. S, a student of Kendra Vidhyalaya primary and secondary school. “I usually take the longer route through the main road as I do not feel like passing through the slum and the garbage because of the stink. But today I came through the slum as I had to reach home quickly.”

According to Dr. M.N. Raju, who runs a clinic on HAL Main Road, the area is a perfect breeding ground for insects and worms.

“The children who walk through that area would always be prone to diseases like food infection, worm infection and malaria. It is not safe for small children to walk through that area, especially during monsoons,” Raju said.

For the sake of the schoolchildren’s health and safety, it is to be hoped that an amicable solution is arrived at soon so the children have easy and safe access to their schools.