Summary
Officially, the rally is scheduled to start at noon and end by 4pm
Several schools have decided to switch to online classes or shut down early on Friday because of the expected traffic disruption for the Trinamul Congress Martyrs’ Day rally at Esplanade.
Loreto House, South Point and Indus Valley World School will conduct online classes on Friday.
The La Martiniere schools and Sushila Birla Girls’ School will end classes earlier than usual.
But early closure means more anxiety for parents.
Officially, the rally is scheduled to start at noon and end by 4pm. Usually, chief minister Mamata Banerjee takes the dais between 1 and 2pm.
But for several hours before and after the rally, traffic gets stalled within several kilometres from the venue at Esplanade. Many vehicles start coming into the city from the districts the previous night.
Vehicles start heading to the venue early in the morning and many people walk, slowing traffic.
Some of the roads around the venue, including Central Avenue, are barricaded by police.
An official at Loreto House said: “Early dismissal becomes difficult on a day like July 21, which involves traffic disruptions.”
Krishna Damani, trustee, South Point, said: “We will keep classes off and take online classes.... Traffic disruptions are expected on Friday and many students might not come.”
Indus Valley World School will conduct online classes for those in Classes IX to XII. For the rest of the classes, from pre-primary to Class VIII, Friday will be an off-day and the students will instead attend school on Saturday.
Modern High School for Girls has left it to parents to decide whether they would send their children to school or not on Friday. “We have not scheduled any test for Friday,” a school official said.
Some of the schools have called a meeting on Wednesday to decide their Friday schedule.
La Martiniere for Girls will follow staggered timing for dispersal and all classes will end by 11am. The classes will be over by 11.30am at La Martiniere for Boys and by 12.30pm at Sushila Birla Girls’ School.
A traffic police officer suggested that early closure could cause inconvenience to the children. “If a school close to Esplanade gives over around noon, there is a possibility that students will get stuck in traffic on the way home. Many vehicles carrying rallyists from districts reach the venue around that time,” the officer said.
St Xavier’s College said they would leave it to students to decide. “The college will remain open. But we leave it to students and staff to decide whether they would come or not,” said Father Dominic Savio, principal of the college.
An official at Calcutta University said that as of now they have no plans to postpone the exams scheduled for July 21. “If colleges request for postponement, we will reassess the situation,” he said.
Last updated on 19 Jul 2023
