Nagpur: As schools across Nagpur reopened with joy and anticipation on Monday, students at Keshav Nagar Primary and Secondary School in East Nagpur were met with scenes of utter civic failure and apathy. Instead of safe pathways and clean surroundings, children as young as five were forced to navigate a dangerous, waterlogged trench right outside their school gate — a disaster waiting to happen, courtesy of the utter negligence of authorities.
The school, located near Jagnade Square, resembled a construction zone rather than an educational institution. A gaping, water-filled pit — recklessly cordoned off with flimsy plastic barricades — blocked the road, forcing students, parents, and pedestrians to squeeze through a narrow, flooded stretch teeming with vehicles. There were no warning signs, no proper barricades, and absolutely no safety measures in place.
Gold Rate
17 June 2025
The chaos stems from the ongoing MRIDC flyover construction, which has already devoured much of the road space. As if that wasn’t enough, additional digging on the roadside for utility work has turned the area into a death trap. The result — panicked children trying to avoid the trench while vehicles whizz past dangerously close.
“This is criminal negligence,” fumed a parent outside the school gate. “The trench is half-covered, filled with water, and extremely slippery. One wrong step, and a child could be seriously injured — or worse.”
Local residents confirmed that the hazardous pit has remained in this condition for several days, with virtually no progress on repairs. The stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, adding the threat of disease to the already unsafe environment.
Despite repeated pleas from citizens to implement basic safety norms — barricades, proper lighting, and alternate pathways — civic officials and contractors have turned a blind eye. Shockingly, no caution boards, guards, or clear markings have been installed at the worksite, even though it’s situated outside a school.
“If this is the state of civic planning near a school, imagine the situation elsewhere in the city,” a frustrated teacher remarked while helping children carefully navigate the treacherous patch.
The situation is particularly infuriating given that Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhari, Municipal Commissioner and Administrator of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), had clearly ordered that all road-digging works be halted after May 31, and existing excavations be restored before the onset of monsoon. Yet, the blatant violation of these orders at Keshav Nagar exposes the sheer incompetence and careless attitude of both contractors and municipal engineers.
Until authorities act, the message to these schoolchildren is clear — your safety can wait, bureaucracy and negligence come first.
