Nine hundred and thirty students of Holy Cross School on Juhu Tara Road, have not celebrated their annual sports day for well over a year now. The reason? The school does not have a ground of its own and while some neighbouring schools that have their own grounds say the arena is booked for the next one month for weddings and parties, others are demanding exorbitant rates.

“We normally schedule sports day on a weekend, between November and December, when the weather is cooler. This also means the students don’t miss out on studies. This year we have been trying to get hold of an open space for the event for months now, but in vain,” complained Father Edmund Mascarenhas, the school Principal.

The ground usually booked by the school, he said, has been rented out for private functions almost on all weekends for the past two months. “We cater to the educational needs of students hailing from middle and lower-income groups. Hiring a private playground costs nothing about Rs 30,000 per day along with additional formalities like hiring an ambulance, providing for police presence and taking permissions from the fire brigade,” the principal said.