Traffic jam near Gandhi school

Traffic jam near Gandhi school

It is disheartening to note that from the day Gandhi School in
Ancol, North Jakarta, was reopened on July 19, 1999 -- after
about two and half months of long vacation -- school children,
along with their parents, have faced the traumatic experience of
enduring traffic congestion for hours just to enter or leave the
school.

This is caused by the closure of all roads and entrances
leading to the school by residents of the area. With only one
gate open both for vehicles entering and leaving the school, just
to reach the school from the gate -- which is situated only about
100 meters from the school -- takes almost an hour.

It is high time the residents understood the plight of the
children and allowed at least one more gate to open to reduce
this traffic congestion. Because of this factor, either children
and parents have to get up very early in the morning, resulting
in reaching the school very early, or get stuck in a traffic jam
for hours, reaching the school very late.

The residents of the area have closed the roads as their own
movement is restricted, due to the movement of large numbers of
vehicles during school hours. But at least on humanitarian
grounds they should consider sharing the problems of the children
as if they were their own children, including the tiny ones
attending kindergarten classes. I trust the residents will help
the others without selfishness for this noble cause. God will
bless those who help others selflessly.

V.N. MURTHY

Jakarta