18 March,2017 10:25 AM IST | | Santosh Wagh
Parents of 250 children at a Mulund school are rattled after the watchman was bitten by a snake. Although the snake was non-venomous, the incident has spread fear among them
The school announced that exams will be held in the old school building next door
Parents of 250 children at a Mulund school are rattled after the watchman was bitten by a snake. Although the snake was non-venomous, the snake bite has spread fear among parents, who have demanded that the school shift the students to ensure the safety of the students.
The watchman was bitten in the compound of this building, leased from the local marriage hall
The snakebite took place in the premises of a marriage hall at LBS Road, part of which is currently being leased by Vani Vidyalaya, since the original school building is up for renovation. On Thursday, around 4:30 pm, the watchman Yashwant Ghode (50) went to the staff washroom in the complex and was bitten by the snake when he came out.
The school authorities took him to Agarwal hospital, where he was kept under observation for three hours. The Resquink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) had sent a snake-catcher, but the reptile was nowhere to be found. However, the doctor at the hospital confirmed that the bite wasn't from a venomous snake.
Also read: Snakebite victim made to run around for 6 hrs at Mumbai's KEM hospital
This assurance has done little to quell the panic among parents, who have demanded that their kids' classes be moved out of the marriage hall and back to the school's original building.
Parent speak
Yesterday, around 250 parents gathered at the school and requested the principal and trustees to move the classes. Hitesh Joshi, whose daughter studies in Std V, told mid-day, "After hearing about the incident, the students were so scared that all the parents had to gather at the school and ask for their safety. We told the principal to shift oback to the old school building for exams."
Another parent, Manish Tiwari, said, "I have two kids studying in the school who told me about the incident. Worried for our kids, all the parents decided to meet the principal."
School says
The principal promised the parents that from Monday onwards, the students would be moved back to the old school premises for their exams, as the construction work is yet to begin. Once the summer vacations end, the school administration will look for another location to hold classes while the renovation work is completed.
School principal Dolly Henry said, "Parents approached us with their concern and we are equally concerned for our students. Hence, it was decided to shift back to the old school building for now. The old building still has intact classrooms, as the renovation work has not started yet. We will hold examinations there and will take appropriate decisions for the next academic year in the summer vacation."
Senior Police Inspector Rajaram Vhanmane of Mulund Police station said, "We are aware about the incident but there are no complaints from anyone. Since we knew that parents were planning to gather we had sent our team there. The Principal has promised better safety for the students to the parents."
