<p>Bengaluru: As the new academic year begins, students across Bengaluru are facing a rough and risky start. Roads leading to several schools and colleges remain neglected, making daily commute difficult, especially with the monsoon setting in.</p>.<p>Children as young as four years are wading through damaged roads during peak hours, caught between rushing crowds and poor road conditions. Civic authorities have failed to ensure safe access to educational institutions, with footpaths broken or blocked and roads riddled with potholes.</p>.<p>"This is not just about inconvenience anymore—the safety of students is at stake,” said a parent from Babusapalya in Horamavu.</p>.Bengaluru stampede: CCB made arrest because CM ordered, says lawyer of RCB's marketing head to HC.<p>Though the BBMP had announced a Rs 694-crore road asphalting project covering 390 km, local MLA recommendations reportedly took precedence over actual ground needs, leaving roads near several schools ignored.</p>.<p>Some of the worst-affected stretches include 13th Cross Road near St Vincent Pallotti School, Babusapalya; access roads to Little Flower Public School, Hosakerehalli; Lalith Castle International School, Pattanagere; Holiday Village Road, Mallasandra; Vibgyor High School, Munnekollal; Government School, Neelasandra; and Maria Niketan School, Cooke Town.</p>.<p>Residents have voiced their frustration. "Balagere Main Road, which has schools like NPS, Chaitanya, and Ekya Nava, is full of potholes. The road to Vagdevi Vilas School in Marathahalli looks like a war zone. With rains, we are bracing for daily struggles—not just to schools, but also to workplaces and hospitals,” said Suresh Dhulipala, a Balagere resident.</p>.<p>On Mysuru Road, the parent of a student at Global Academy for Learning, said: “White-topping work was abandoned midway. Debris is lying on the road, and traffic is diverted without warning. Commute times have doubled.”</p>.<p>In central Bengaluru, residents questioned the BBMP’s timing. “Work on Richmond Road, which leads to Cathedral High School, Bishop Cotton and St Joseph’s, could have been done during the summer holidays. Now, it is a mess. All the roads are jammed,” said Anil Nachappa, a resident of Shantinagar.</p>.<p>D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said the road conditions are affecting school operations citywide. “Several of our member schools, especially in East Bengaluru, report the daily ordeal their buses and students go through. Buses need to start 30 minutes early to cover the same distance. It is a struggle for everyone—students, parents, and staff,” he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: As the new academic year begins, students across Bengaluru are facing a rough and risky start. Roads leading to several schools and colleges remain neglected, making daily commute difficult, especially with the monsoon setting in.</p>.<p>Children as young as four years are wading through damaged roads during peak hours, caught between rushing crowds and poor road conditions. Civic authorities have failed to ensure safe access to educational institutions, with footpaths broken or blocked and roads riddled with potholes.</p>.<p>"This is not just about inconvenience anymore—the safety of students is at stake,” said a parent from Babusapalya in Horamavu.</p>.Bengaluru stampede: CCB made arrest because CM ordered, says lawyer of RCB's marketing head to HC.<p>Though the BBMP had announced a Rs 694-crore road asphalting project covering 390 km, local MLA recommendations reportedly took precedence over actual ground needs, leaving roads near several schools ignored.</p>.<p>Some of the worst-affected stretches include 13th Cross Road near St Vincent Pallotti School, Babusapalya; access roads to Little Flower Public School, Hosakerehalli; Lalith Castle International School, Pattanagere; Holiday Village Road, Mallasandra; Vibgyor High School, Munnekollal; Government School, Neelasandra; and Maria Niketan School, Cooke Town.</p>.<p>Residents have voiced their frustration. "Balagere Main Road, which has schools like NPS, Chaitanya, and Ekya Nava, is full of potholes. The road to Vagdevi Vilas School in Marathahalli looks like a war zone. With rains, we are bracing for daily struggles—not just to schools, but also to workplaces and hospitals,” said Suresh Dhulipala, a Balagere resident.</p>.<p>On Mysuru Road, the parent of a student at Global Academy for Learning, said: “White-topping work was abandoned midway. Debris is lying on the road, and traffic is diverted without warning. Commute times have doubled.”</p>.<p>In central Bengaluru, residents questioned the BBMP’s timing. “Work on Richmond Road, which leads to Cathedral High School, Bishop Cotton and St Joseph’s, could have been done during the summer holidays. Now, it is a mess. All the roads are jammed,” said Anil Nachappa, a resident of Shantinagar.</p>.<p>D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said the road conditions are affecting school operations citywide. “Several of our member schools, especially in East Bengaluru, report the daily ordeal their buses and students go through. Buses need to start 30 minutes early to cover the same distance. It is a struggle for everyone—students, parents, and staff,” he said.</p>