Parents, students, and activists gathered in Mahim on Independence Day to hoist the tricolour and protest the sudden closure of MPS New Mahim School. The civic-run school, renovated in 2018, has been declared a C-1 building marked for demolition. Parents allege the structure is safe and demand transparency.
Parents, students, and activists gather on Friday to hoist the Indian flag and protest the sudden closure of MPS New Mahim School. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Parents, students, and activists gathered at 11 am on Friday in Mahim to hoist the Indian flag to celebrate Independence Day and protest the sudden closure of MPS New Mahim School. The flag hoisting took place in a garden near the school as a mark of disapproval against the alleged abrupt closure of the Mahim-based civic school building. The dissent comes after the structure of Mumbai Public School New Mahim was locked and classified as a C-1 building (deemed extremely dangerous and unfit for habitation due to severe structural issues), marked for demolition, even though parents insist it is in good condition.
“The Mahim school was renovated only in 2018, and the structure still appears to be stronger and more resilient than many other civic-run schools. However, in June, the civic body suddenly planned to raze the school, and now the building remains locked, with nearly 2500 students moved to online classes or neighbouring schools. We are still not able to determine exactly where all the students have been relocated, or whether all of them are in school at all,” said Pranali Raut, a citizen activist and AAP leader.
The parents are now seeking a meeting with the additional municipal commissioner, and if it fails to yield results, they plan to move to court, Raut added.
The dissent comes after the structure of Mumbai Public School New Mahim was locked and classified as a C-1 building, marked for demolition, even though it allegedly remains in good condition. Parents, who say they visit the school regularly, claim the building does not require repairs and have demanded greater transparency behind the sudden decision.
Unhappy with the relocation to MPS Kapad Bazar, the parents hope to regain the old building. “The move to Kapad Bazar was very sudden, and we did not have any time to enrol our children in another school. At Kapad Bazar, the washroom doesn’t have running water, there’s no library, and there’s no space to move around. Had we been told earlier, we would have shifted our children to another school,” said a parent whose two children were originally in Std I and Std V at MPS New Mahim.
Another parent, a Dharavi resident, said it is difficult to pick up and drop off young children at Kapad Bazar, Mahim. “There have been times when the teacher did not allow my children to go to the washroom because there was no running water. As a result, the kids soiled their pants, and I was called to the school to pick them up. This has happened more than once, and we parents want our old building back,” the Dharavi resident said.
Despite the allegations, BMC officials maintain the decision was taken only after proper checks of the building. “MPS New Mahim School was given the C-1 notice after thorough inspections by engineers. All students have been transferred to other neighbouring schools, such as Mahim’s MPS Kapad Bazar, among others. It should be noted that all these schools are functioning properly,” stated a senior BMC official.
2018
Year (parents said) school was renovated
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