School's open and shut gate case reaches CM Devendra Fadnavis

Parents of students from St. Francis School in Borivli have approached Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to intervene in the school's decision to shut two of the three entry gates.

According to the parents, despite there being two huge gates, the school is only allowing students entry and exit through a small door. Fearing danger to students' lives due to passing vehicles -- while sta­nding in queue to enter thro­ugh the small gate -- parents have now approached the CM.

Not all vehicles carrying children can go till the small gate, forcing each student to walk at least 200-300 metres after being dropped near the school. This, said parents, puts children at risk from onciming traffic. Parents have written to the CM after receiving no response from any of the authorities.

Dhananjay Junnarkar, a parent, said, "The other big gates are huge, but we do not understand why the school has decided to keep them shut."

After repeated complaints by parents, the traffic department has appointed a constable at the spot to manage the crowd.
School principal Wilfred Monteiro, said, "We have a system. All students are taken care of while standing in the queue."