New Delhi: Residents of Baljeet Nagar in Karol Bagh say they feel trapped inside their own homes after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) built a boundary wall around a new primary school, blocking off their direct access to the main road.
The wall, erected for the security of the upcoming government school, has cut off 15 entry points used by the colony for decades. Families now either scale the wall or take long detours through cramped lanes with protruding pipelines, leaving little room for movement and no space for emergency vehicles.
For many, the situation is dire. “The door of our house facing the school was our only way out. With that blocked, we must park our bikes in the public park, which is unsafe,” said Anup Kumar, 32. “I had to send my ailing mother to our village in Faridabad because in case of an emergency, no help could reach us on time.”
Elderly residents, too, say they are unable to climb the wall or navigate the long detours. “Had they left just a 3-foot-wide passage between the school and our homes, as promised, there would not have been any problem,” said 72-year-old Chandra Dev Gupta, a heart patient.
The land, once used as a playground and community space, was earmarked for the school in 2021. While residents had initially welcomed the move, they allege that repeated assurances by councillors and officials about a small passage were never honoured. Instead, construction of the wall began under police supervision last week.
MCD officials, however, maintain that the colony is unauthorised and several homes have encroached on school land. “The land was always earmarked for a school. The boundary wall is essential for the safety of students,” said an official source.
