Schools, heavy vehicle traffic shut for Sunday’s Maharashtra Bhushan

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Panvel Municipal Corporation have declared a holiday for all schools on April 15 due to preparations for the Maharashtra Bhushan event.

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Panvel Municipal Corporation on Friday declared a holiday for all schools on April 15. The announcement was made as part of the administration’s preparations for the mega Maharashtra Bhushan event, which is being held on April 16 at the 206-acre Corporate Park in Khargar. The recipient is 77-year-old preacher and social worker Dattatreya Narayan Dharmadhikari, popularly known as Appasaheb Dharmadhikari.

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The traffic police have also put restrictions on the entry of heavy vehicles into the city. “A huge turnout is expected for the event, and since the visitors are likely to start arriving from early Saturday, it was necessary to instruct schools to remain closed, and also regulate traffic to ensure that school buses are not inconvenienced,” said Yogesh Kaduskar, deputy municipal commissioner (education).

Students’ parents are delighted. “I am glad the authorities decided to give the day off to students, else we parents would have been worried about our kids getting stuck in traffic,” said Vineetha Punit, a resident of Vashi and mother to two students studying at Podar International school, Nerul.

Parents said the decision to keep schools closed was a good one on account of the scorching weather as well, given that the temperature of Navi Mumbai on Friday was 38 degrees Celsius. “It is always better to use foresight and avert situations like students getting stuck in traffic and suffering a heat stroke,” said Preeti Kundan, another parent from Koparkhairane.