NHAI to demolish part of Bhondsi school for Sohna Road

Gurugram The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will take over a portion of the Government Senior Secondary School in Bhondsi, partly built on encroached

Gurugram The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will take over a portion of the Government Senior Secondary School in Bhondsi, partly built on encroached land, for the Sohna Road project.

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NHAI officials said that they will rebuild the portion which is being demolished on another site provided by the school authorities. The highways authority will demolish around nine rooms in the school building, besides the entire primary school block.

School authorities said that NHAI has assured them of reconstructing the rooms, but have not fixed a time frame for the same, which they feel could affect children’s studies. “Our entire primary school is being demolished to make way for a national highway. The NHAI has told us that they will make few rooms but not the entire primary school,” said Suman Sharma, a senior teacher in the school.

School authorities said that few of the rooms are used for storage, which the NHAI has declined to reconstruct. “The rooms that are not being made are non-functional. No one is using those rooms, so it’s right on our part not to construct them,” a senior NHAI official said.

The NHAI officials said that the school had encroached upon a land parcel, which shall be cleared to make the road.

“Parts of the school that are being demolished are on encroached land. We are only demolishing unauthorised structures. The plan has been made and these rooms will be constructed soon,” a senior official of HG Infrastructure, NHAI contractor for the project, said.

Under the project, the stretch between Badshapur and Sohna (12.71 km) will have flyovers and underpasses at crossings to ensure a signal-free commute.

School authorities said they don’t want the NHAI to demolish the rooms, but they are helpless. Shyam Singh Raghav, principal, Government Senior Secondary School, said, “I am not in favour of the NHAI taking over the rooms and the building. The NHAI officials have said that they will make new rooms, but we don’t know by when they will be made. We will have to sort out things, such as accommodating students.”

Senior NHAI officials, however, said that they will make sure that school authorities don’t face problems and that the new structures will be constructed before the demolition.

Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI, Gurugram, said, “Before starting demolition in the school, we will make new structures. Our officers will ensure that students don’t have any issue.”

Prem Lata Yadav, district elementary education officer, said, “Development work has to go on and the NHAI is making the new rooms for us. I don’t see why anyone should complain about this.”