Mangaluru: A two-year delay in executing a road improvement project outside St Aloysius Primary School on Karangalpady Road has turned the stretch into a serious safety hazard for students and a daily inconvenience for commuters.The delay has left an open drain in front of the school’s main gate. The drain frequently overflows, allowing stagnant and dirty water to spill onto the approach road. Parents and young students are forced to negotiate the slippery and uneven stretch while entering the school premises.The exposed trenches and stagnant water pose safety and health risks to the children. The unfinished work has also caused inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians using the busy corridor.The delay has left the school management worried. The school had cooperated with the civic authorities and agreed to part with a portion of its property to facilitate the project.“We had given our consent in writing to the Mangaluru City Corporation to acquire the land in front of our school for the road project a long time ago. However, the work has still not begun, causing considerable inconvenience to our students and commuters,” said Fr Balraju, secretary and treasurer of the Mangalore Jesuit Educational Society (MJES).Following concerns raised over student safety and public inconvenience, Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey acknowledged the delay and assured that he would personally look into the matter. He said steps will be taken to resolve the issue at the earliest.
