Govandi CBSE building ready; students crammed elsewhere as access road tangled in debris, mangroves, and red tape
Debris dumped outside the MPS CBSE Natwar Parekh school building
The long-awaited access road for Mumbai Public School (CBSE) at Natwar Parekh Compound, Govandi, was finally nearing completion — but now faces yet another hurdle. As mid-day reported on August 8, the brand-new CBSE school building had remained unused because it lacked a road and was surrounded by heaps of garbage. Following the report and repeated pleas from school authorities, the Solid Waste Management department cleared the garbage on August 14, paving the way for road construction.
Soon after, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) contractors began work. But just days into construction, the project hit a roadblock. Acting on complaints from locals, forest department officials inspected the site and alleged that construction debris had been dumped near the adjoining mangrove buffer zone and creek water. Officials immediately confiscated the dumpers and excavators at the site. The matter has since been referred to the Kurla Tahsildar.
The potholed approach road outside the MPS CBSE Natwar Parekh school building in Govandi. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
“As per the Environment Protection Act, the powers lie with the collector. Hence, the case has been transferred to the tahsildar, Kurla,” said Range Forest Officer Prashant Bahadure of Airoli Mangrove Cell. Kurla-Mulund Tahsildar Dilip J Rayannavar confirmed, “We have received reports from both sides and sent officials to the site on October 1. All necessary action will follow.”
School still in limbo
Meanwhile, the fate of MPS CBSE Natwar Parekh Compound remains uncertain. Despite the gleaming new building, students continue to study in cramped classrooms at MPS Shivajinagar 1. Frustrated parents have drafted a letter with nearly 600 signatures demanding the building be opened by Diwali. “We have had enough. Our children deserve to study in the school built for them, even if it means using the back gate,” said a PTA member.
The back gate opens into Natwar Parekh Compound, a public housing complex from where most of the school’s students hail. However, it was never approved as the main entrance because the approach road does not meet BMC’s mandatory width of 9 metres required for emergency vehicle access.
“Currently, the road outside the school is full of potholes and not safe for children. There are also discussions about widening a parallel road and linking it with the school. BMC is also working to ensure classrooms are fully equipped with electrical fittings so they are ready once roadworks are complete,” a BMC source said.
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