Ahmedabad: Torrential rain battered Ahmedabad on Thursday, flooding roads, halting transport services and triggering a citywide scramble by schools, police and emergency teams to rescue and evacuate stranded students.In Vejalpur, a bus ferrying A-One School students got stuck near Bakeri City. Rescue teams evacuated all the children and moved them to a safe location; no injuries were reported.Several schools announced early closure, but flooded routes kept buses off the roads. Three buses of DAV International School had to turn back, and many parents could not reach the campus. Students waited in classrooms until 5pm and were served poha and biscuits.“Our drivers, didis and staff rose to the occasion. Around 85% of our staff are women, and they were superwomen today. We kept the children safe and ensured they were properly fed. We arranged buses, and I even sent my own car to ensure students and staff reached home safely,” said Deepak Gautam, principal, DAV International School in Makarba.At Shanti Asiatic School in Shela, students remained on campus for hours until the water receded and parents could pick them up. Also in Shela, a school van carrying around 15 students broke down on a waterlogged stretch. A police team dropped off the children at their homes in South Bopal.Ahmedabad police also assisted several students caught in the downpour. Near Ajit Mill in Rakhial, a schoolgirl stranded because of waterlogging was taken home in a police vehicle. Senior officers instructed the personnel to ensure that she was handed over to her parents before leaving.South Bopal resident Pragya Joshi said she spent nearly four hours picking up her two children from school amid transport disruptions. Her toddler attends the morning nursery, while her elder daughter attends school in the afternoon shift. “Autorickshaws were charging Rs 200 for a 1-km ride,” she said. Later, when the school asked parents to pick up their children as buses were not operating, Joshi said she had to leave her toddler with a neighbour, arrange an autorickshaw to reach the school, and then find another one to return home.In Viramgam, Ahmedabad Rural police conducted multiple rescues, deploying patrol vehicles and even private tractors to ferry stranded families across inundated roads. Officials said teams stayed posted at vulnerable spots through the day, responding to distress calls from commuters and schoolchildren.
