New Friends’ Colony residents allege unauthorised opening of gates by school, causing traffic

Residents of New Friends Colony complain about Cambridge School's unauthorized gate opening, causing traffic issues. An inquiry is set for Wednesday.

Residents of New Friends Colony block A have lodged a complaint against Cambridge School, accusing it of opening a school gate without authorisation. According to a notice, the school’s principal has been directed to attend an inquiry on Wednesday afternoon regarding traffic congestion and safety concerns in the area.

New Friends’ Colony residents allege unauthorised opening of gates by school, causing traffic

The school’s headmistress, however, said all the gates of the school must be functional to ensure safety, citing a 2024 circular of the directorate of education.

“This is to inform you that the complaint has been filed by...A block action committee against you. As per the contents of the complaint, allegations pertaining to unauthorised opening of school gate, causing severe traffic hazard and public safety risk in A block, NFC have been levelled against you by the complainant,” a notice addressed to the Principal of NFC-based Cambridge School by PS NFC dated April 6, a copy of which has been seen by HT.

The headmistress Hansa Kohli told HT that the school’s third gate, recently reconstructed, was opened on April 1. She added that residents blocked entry of school buses, vans, and parents’ vehicles last Thursday over traffic concerns, but access was restored from the next day after intervention by the NFC Residents Welfare Association (RWA).

“The school began using its third gate from April 1 to speed up student dispersal, reducing the process from nearly an hour to 15–20 minutes, with guards ensuring smooth movement,” said Kohli. “We had to approach the police, as ours is a primary school with around 800 students below the age of 12. The situation also caused panic among parents,” Kohli added.

One of the block’s action committee members, who filed the complaint against the school, said the third gate was meant to be used only in emergencies.

“The third gate was intended only for emergency use, but the school has begun using it regularly, leading to an increase in vehicle movement. Residents say this has resulted in constant honking and added stress, particularly for elderly people mostly requiring critical care, as traffic congestion often makes it difficult to leave the area for hours, even in emergencies,” said a resident, who the condition of anonymity.

Chitra Jain, President of NFC RWA, said the flow of traffic has been a long standing dispute between the school and the residents which needs a long-term solution.

“The school opened the third gate without informing residents, which led to resentment. However, the committee’s move to block entry of vehicles dropping students was also an extreme step to deal with traffic. We are trying to look for a long-term solution that satisfies both the school and residents,” Jain added.