The Shri Ram School (TSRS), Moulsari Campus has issued a notice, wherein they have expressed strong objection to the alleged illegal construction by the Ambience Development & Infrastructure Private Limited and its group of companies, endangering the TSRS building and causing serious environmental damage in Sector 24, 25A in Gurugram.
As per the school authorities, here’s a brief on the issue with Ambience (as on 2nd November 2020) –
In July 2018, Ambience started digging a deep trench right near the boundary with the school. This resulted in structural cracks that started appearing inside the school building. Before the builders started foundation work, they also filled and closed a natural stormwater drain (nallah) that ran all along the periphery of the school.
When the school complained to Ambience about the dangers such work posed to the school building, and by extension, school students and staff, the school was assured that remedial security measures would be put in place. Unfortunately, nothing was done and Ambience continued digging to such an extent that by July 21, 2019, the boundary wall along with the generator sets and the sewage treatment plant, caved in because of soil erosion. The school authorities were forced to close the school for a full week as emergency restoration work had to be carried out.
On August 18, 2020, there was another major soil erosion near the school sports field. The school’s newly built manhole caved in and cracks started appearing in the building again. The school had to spend several crores for repair and restoration, not to mention the danger it posed to the lives of students and staff.
TSRS, Moulsari Campus administration was forced to approach the district administration for redressal. The DC ordered the DTP to check on-site and take appropriate steps. Accordingly, Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Aashish Sharma inspected the site on 1st September 2020, after which Ambience was ordered to build an RCC retaining wall along the boundary of the school.
The ATP visited the site again on 11th September to check on its implementation and the DTP too visited on 13th October but Ambience has not done any work near the wall even till today.
School’s Chairman, Mr. Arun Bharat Ram, wrote to the CM of Haryana, M.L Khattar, on 14th September, requesting him to issue necessary orders for an early solution to the problem. The school director, Manika Sharma, has also complained to the Union Minister for Forests, Environment and Climate Change, Haryana’s Minister for Forests, Environment and Climate Change, the National Disaster Management Authority and Chief Controller of Pollution Board bringing their attention to the problems faced by the school.
The case comes close on the heel of a slew of complaints raised by the Ambience residents against the builder.
In the interest of the people the state government must take urgent action to ensure that safety of the school is accorded high priority.
