Monsoon Flooding Strands Gurgaon Schoolchildren in Buses for Up to Four Hours

On Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, hundreds of school children in Gurgaon were stranded in school buses for up to four hours due to flooded roads and severe traffic gridlock caused by monsoon rains. The delays heavily impacted students travelling towards Sector 14, Golf Course Extension Road, Sohna Road, Sector 45, and Sector 41, with normal 3:30 pm arrival times pushed back to 7:00 pm or later.

The prolonged delays left children exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and distressed as they remained stuck inside the vehicles.

At Suncity Schools, at least five buses faced delays over the two days. Rupa Chakravarty, the director of Suncity Schools, stated that their buses typically cover a 10-15 km radius, allowing students to reach home within an hour. However, due to the waterlogged roads, some buses did not reach their destinations until 5:00 pm or 5:30 pm. On Tuesday, a bus conductor purchased snacks for the stranded children.

Parents of students attending Delhi Public School in Sector 45 and Shikshantar School in Sector 41 also reported delays of up to four hours. Shikshantar School parent Shilpi Verma noted that her daughter arrived home nearly two hours late and was extremely tired.

Richa Sareen, a resident of Sohna Road whose children study at schools on Golf Course Road, shared that her children reached home around 5:00 pm, while some of their classmates did not return until 7:30 pm.

The situation sparked concerns among local residents regarding emergency preparedness. Ruchika Sethi, a resident of Nirvana Country, questioned the lack of contingency plans for foreseeable weather emergencies. Sethi emphasized the need for active school disaster management protocols and quicker mobilization of drinking water and medical assistance for stranded students. She also questioned why similar swift traffic management efforts made for VVIP convoys are not extended to school buses during such crises.

The affected schools did not respond to requests for comment regarding the delays.