The balancing act that 750-odd schoolchildren of Bagbera have been practising daily for two monsoons can only be compared to the commitment of gymnasts who've made it to the Rio Games. <$>

But, while participating in the Olympics is all about joy, for students in the southern fringes of Jamshedpur the routine is more of a survival strategy in the face of Olympian neglect.

A low-lying, cratered road is the lone approach to the conjoined campuses of Sri Krishna Public School, a private English-medium cradle, and Adarsh Madhya Evam Uchcha Vidyalaya, which is affiliated to Jharkhand Academic Council.

The teething problem is that this maintenance-starved artery for students turns into a pond after every bout of heavy shower. Since riding two-wheelers or steering auto-rickshaws becomes a risky proposition, parents and drivers park their vehicles beyond the 40-metre-long stretch of puddle road.

The children have no option but to wade through water both before and after school. While 550 students study in nursery to Class V at the English school, 200 are enrolled till Class X at the state-run cradle.

Sri Krishna Public School was established in 2011 while the Adarsh middle school dates back to 1970. But, students have been facing the predicament since 2014, perhaps because the road lost its top layer following years of neglect.

Vivek Pandey, an office employee of Sri Krishna Public School, agreed that commuting on the road after heavy rain was "extremely dangerous", particularly for those unaware of the local topography.

"Bikers keep skidding on the road because they are unable to gauge the depth of the giant puddle. Parents and pool drivers are thus advised to park vehicles farther away to avoid the risk of accidents. Although walking on the road is troublesome, it is safer compared to biking," Pandey explained.

Class V student of Sri Krishna Public School Nihar Kumar Singh minced no words to say he hated the walk to school.

"There is always water on the road during monsoon. We have to be careful while dodging deeper pockets since the road surface isn't smooth. Sometimes the water is knee-deep. Our shoes get soggy and so does our uniform. We have to sit in classrooms completely soaked," the 11-year-old complained.

Son of a security guard and resident of Bagbera Colony, Nihar added that when it poured, teachers advised them not to carry all books so that their schoolbags weren't heavy. "After all, doing the balancing act is more difficult if your bag is bulky."

Saroj Singh, vice-principal of Nihar's school, said apart from the commuting challenge, the waterlogging spawned the threat of vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria. "Mosquito bites are not uncommon because the road remains flooded for days. Children are at serious risk here," Singh added.

Asim Kumar Jha, headmaster of Adarsh middle school, said he had written letters to panchayat representatives and local MLA, but in vain.

Barely 5km from the steel city, the school area comes under Bagbera panchayat and BJP's Potka MLA Menaka Sardar represents local residents in the Assembly.

Zilla Parishad member Kishore Yadav pleaded helplessness owing to lack of funds. "There is no money for road repair and drainage. I have raised the issue at meetings with the district administration," he said.

MLA Sardar promised to broach the matter with the road construction department. "I will speak to engineers for an early solution to the problem," she said.

East Singhbhum deputy development commissioner Binod Kumar, however, said that funds under the 14th Finance Commission had been released to the panchayat a few months ago. "There should be money in the panchayat kitty for civil jobs like this," Kumar said.

Yadav claimed the funds transferred to the account of mukhiyas three months ago had no clear-cut guidelines on how it should be spent and they were wary of being charged with misappropriation.

Who do you think is to blame for the ordeal of the students? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com