Panaji: Things have improved just a bit at the Cujira school complex as compared to the first day of the academic year, where the traffic jam at the complex blocked even the adjoining highway. However, parents and school officials say that the staggered timings adopted by schools, based on chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s suggestion, have not helped much in resolving the traffic chaos at the complex.
The work on creating a separate outlet for the complex, from where the Cujira school complex bound traffic can exit, is presently on, but is expected to take at least another month before it is ready for usage. Consequently, school buses and other vehicles entering the complex continue to choke the single outlet from the complex while trying to enter and exit.
“Parents who drop off their children in private vehicles still park along the road leading to the complex. The only thing that has improved is that the traffic personnel posted at the complex on a daily basis now ensure that the traffic is not blocked. However, the chaos continues during opening and closing hours,” said one school official.
Apart from the traffic chaos, another issue that has remained unresolved is that of the lack of supply of drinking water to the complex. Principal of the Dr KB Hedgewar High School, Vilas Satarkar said, “Schools still have to bring in water through tankers.”
A major traffic block was caused on the first day of the school, June 5, at the complex. As the chaos refused to ease up, Parrikar, who also hold the education portfolio, had to intervene. One of his suggestion adopted by the schools was that of rescheduling of the start timing of each of the existing five schools in a staggered manner. This move aimed at easing the flow of traffic entering and existing the complex.
Akshata Puranik Bhat, parent of a Class VIII student at the complex, said, “The school timings have been moved only five minutes apart and that has not helped much to ease the traffic situation. My son reaches home very late after school due to the traffic issues.”
State authorities have pinned their hopes on the ring road being developed at the complex to resolve the traffic issues. The process of acquiring land for the ring road from BSNL was completed recently.
