A school bus manoeuvres its way on the Khagaul Road in Patna. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, Dec. 28: Students and teachers of half-a-dozen education institutions on Khagaul Road are often late to school these days. Reason: Dug up roads for construction of four bridges.

A number of institutions — Holy Mission School, St Karen’s Secondary School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rose Bud School and DAV, Khagaul — are located on the 2-km stretch between Saguna Mor and Radiant International School. Sources said more than 100 school buses ply on this thoroughfare. Students and teachers on these buses have to encounter serpentine traffic snarls on their way to and from schools.

Alok Kumar Ravi, a Class X student of St Karen’s Secondary School, said he is often late because of the bad road.

“We are 15 to 20 minutes late everyday. Thanks to the construction of the bridges, the road is one way. Vehicles can pass only on one lane at a time. There are regular traffic snarls,” he said.

If the road to school is fraught with delays, the way home is equally unpleasant. As classes at most institutions get over at the same time, the number of school buses on the narrow stretch increases. This complicates the traffic problems. Sources said it takes more than half-an-hour to cover the 2-km stretch in the afternoon though it should take no more than 10 minutes.

“Our journey home is even more agonising. The ride is bumpy. The roads are full of dirt and dust,” said Abhishek, a Class X student of an institution on the 2-km stretch.

School authorities, too, are concerned about the difficulties faced by the students. D.K. Ghosh, principal, DAV, Khagaul, said: “Buses take an unusually long time to cross the stretch. The traffic snarls which the students and employees of the school encounter daily are irritating.”

Sources said the four small bridges would solve the waterlogging problem in the area. Those suffering, however, fear that the plight might last longer because only one out of the four bridges have been constructed over the past 10 months.

There may be slight hope at the end of the bumpy road, though. Nawab Alam, senior project engineer, Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd, under whose supervision the bridges are being constructed, said: “I have taken charge only a week ago. The deadline for the construction of the four bridges is February but I will try to finish it by January-end.”