A group of students carried tree branches, while a few others tried to pick up broken concrete slabs to cover the open drain a few yards from their school on Saturday.
Marking a ‘stop’ on the road and placing warning signs, they gave a clear indication of the danger zone by covering the open drain with tree branches and concrete slabs.
Moved by the tragic death of six-year-old Aditi, who slipped into a rainwater drain recently, the students of Gayatri Vidya Parishad MLB Trust School have taken up the initiative of covering the open drain located in East Point Colony.
Students and teachers, who took part in the drive, appealed to the civic authorities to look into the issue more seriously and step up action to cover open as well as semi-open drains.
Plea to officials
They urged the officials to identify vulnerable spots and take immediate steps to make the roads safe for all, particularly the schoolchildren.
They lamented that there were too many open drains and live wires in the city, endangering the lives of unwary children and passers-by, posing a potential threat to people that costs them their lives.
“Like the gory accident that took away the life of an innocent girl Aditi last week. It is a matter of concern for every individual to identify such dangerous spots and alert concerned authorities. Our initiative is the first step towards a big change,” says K. Madhuravani, principal of the school.
Those who teamed up for the cause said that the primary step towards developing Vizag as a smart city is by covering the open drains.
“We are ready to do our bit towards this direction,” assured the school students.
