Smart city road works lead to travel woes

Thiruvananthapuram: As the state education sector returns to offline schooling, the students of Vanchiyoor High School are left stranded due to the on-going smart city project works on the Vanchiyoor road. Although the large pits of the area were recently covered as part of the school reopening, the students are still finding it difficult to reach the school.
The students are currently walking to the school as they are residing in the nearby areas. A total of 46 students are studying in the school.
According to the school headmistress, the on-going construction works have severely affected the access of the students. As the road is being closed, vehicles are being parked in front of the school gate. This blocks the school entrance. She also said that the students have communicated their difficulty in arriving at school on time. Despite the fact that the school has its own bus, services have been halted due to a shortage of funds and a decrease in the number of students.
“The road was dug up for the smart city works one month ago and it was covered prior to the school reopening to ensure the safety of children. I believe the works are in its final stage and the traffic of the area can be completely opened for the public soon. Although the roads are being closed for vehicles, arrangements were made for the children to walk along the road,” said Gayathri Babu, Vanchiyoor councillor.
As part of the reopening, a three-day cleaning was carried out by the school authorities with the help of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in all 10 classrooms and the compound.
Smart city officials said that sewerage work is currently underway on this road and instructions have been issued to complete the work on a war footing to ensure smooth access to the school.