Miscreants turn BBMP school grounds into smoking, drinking addas

BENGALURU: Litterbugs are trashing playgrounds of many BBMP schools and colleges in the city. Heaps of broken liquor bottles and cigarette butts welcome students almost every day. This is because, with the onset of the dusk, miscreants and local goons turn them into mini bars and smoking ‘addas’ (dens).
Principals of many schools and colleges have complained about the sad state of affairs to BBMP education standing committee chairman Imran Pasha when the latter went on inspection.

“First thing we do in the morning, before letting the children to play, is to clean the playground,” said a faculty of a school in Austin Town.

Another staffer of a school in Shivajinagar complained that senior BBMP officials do not pay any heed to issues pertaining to playgrounds. “These goons tease our students as well. When our staff question them, they hit them with sticks and throw stones,” she alleged.

Children often get injured by broken pieces of bottles. “While playing football, I collided with a friend and skidded. I started bleeding immediately as a glass piece pierced into my hand,” said a class 10 student of Austin Town school.

Staff from schools in Chamarajpet, Hemmigepura, Jayanagar, Binnipet, Balepet, Govindarajnagar among others, have also shared similar concerns.

Imran Pasha said he was shocked to see the status of playgrounds when he visited BBMP Junior College and High School for Girls in Austin Town. “I’ll inform the local police station and the special commissioner to do patrolling and deploy security to keep miscreants at bay,” he said.

Pasha said 150 of the 156 BBMP schools and colleges have playgrounds and most of them have turned drinking and smoking dens for miscreants.

Toilets without doors

During their inspection, members of the standing committee found that many of the school buildings are on the verge of collapsing. And many of them lack basic amenities.

The junior college and higher school in Austin Town has no drinking water and toilet facilities. There is large mesh outside the bathroom which is supposedly to act like a door.

Ratna Nanjegowda, class 7 student from the school, said many of them don’t use toilets because they are in a pathetic condition. “There is no water facility in the loo and there are no proper doors. Many a time, local boys stand near the mesh and tease us,” she added.

Students said they get teased by local goons whenever they air their complaints about the harassment.

In most schools, water seeps through the broken ceiling whenever it rains. Many of them haven’t got a fresh coat of paint since a decade.