Mumbai: Students, teachers, parishioners and local residents are planning to protest on Sunday against civic authorities as the newly reconstructed Sion Road Over Bridge has blocked the main entrance to Our Lady of Good Counsel Church and High School, affecting access to a school with around 3,500 students.
Because the entire site was covered with barricades, “When the construction work started, we weren’t sure what the situation was. Because the gate is completely blocked by the bridge, a fire engine or ambulance cannot enter the church or the school during an emergency.
Gladys D’Souza, a parishioner, said the residents did not realise the extent of the problem until the construction barricades were removed. When they came down, we realised there was literally no entrance to the school or church left,” she said. She said school buses could no longer enter the compound and the situation could become particularly difficult during a medical emergency. Tony D’Souza, manager of the church and high school, said raising the bridge had resulted in the girder obstructing the compound’s entrance. The partly abandoned skywalk blocks access further,” he said.
The bridge’s girder has obstructed the entrance to the school and church compound, leaving people dependent on a small side entrance. School buses, ambulances, hearses and wedding parties can no longer reach the premises directly and must stop near the former entrance, forcing people to walk roughly half a kilometre to their destination. An older, partly abandoned skywalk further obstructs access to the premises. “They have taken the bridge a little higher, which has led to the girder blocking the entire compound.