New Delhi
Delhi Parents Association (DPA) on Monday wrote to Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) demanding a summer vacation be declared in city’s schools immediately in view of the scorching heat.
A tormenting heatwave swept through the national capital and its neighbouring areas on Sunday with the mercury leaping to 49.2 degrees Celsius at Mungeshpur in north-west Delhi and 49.1 degrees Celsius at Najafgarh in the south-west parts of the city.
Maximum temperatures reached unbearable highs of 48.4 degrees Celsius at Sports Complex, 47.5 degrees Celsius at Jafarpur, 47.3 degrees Celsius at Pitampura and 47.2 degrees Celsius at Ridge.
“We call upon you to immediately declare summer vacations in schools without delay in view of the deadly heat scorching in Delhi. Many children are falling ill due to extreme heat. And the attendance of children in schools is decreasing,” DPA president Aparajita Gautam said in the letter.
Ms. Gautam added in the letter that after some safety rules and suggestions were issued by the Union Ministry of Education to protect the children amid the heatwave, the neighbouring states changed the school timings. “But no such step was taken by the Delhi government. In the guidelines issued by the Central government, it has been made clear that it is not safe for children to come out between 12-3 p.m.,” the letter said.
Ms. Gautam noted that the main purpose of summer holidays is to save the children from the wrath of the heatwave.
