Chandigarh schools converted parking into playgrounds, swimming pools; DC: restore original plan or face action

Leading private schools in Chandigarh are under the UT Administration’s scanner for allegedly turning sanctioned parking areas into playgrounds and swimming pools, a move — according to officials — has compromised student safety and contributed to daily traffic chaos outside school gates.

The administration said spaces originally approved for vehicle parking and safe student pick-up and drop-off were diverted for other uses, forcing hundreds of parents to stop on the roads, undermining the objectives of the Safe Transportation Policy for Students (STRAPS).

A comparison of approved building plans and actual site conditions suggests that schools allegedly converted designated parking zones into playgrounds.

The administration said the deviations reduced internal parking capacity and increased the risk of accidents by pushing student boarding and de-boarding activities onto busy roads.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav said, “Officials gave me a presentation, showing how these schools deviated from the sanctioned plans. We showed the schools concerned these presentations about violations in their parking areas. We observed that many schools had serious violations in their parking areas by converting them into playgrounds, swimming pools, rooms, etc. We have asked schools to rectify these violations on their own. After that, we will start enforcement.”

The presentation showed Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Strawberry Fields World School and St Kabir Public School allegedly deviated from their sanctioned building plans by converting designated parking areas into playgrounds and other institutional uses, undermining key safety provisions of STRAPS, an official said.

The official added that these alterations had reduced internal parking capacity, forcing parents to stop vehicles on the roads during pick-up and drop-off hours, leading to traffic congestion and increased safety risks for children.

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According to records presented by the administration, the original approved plans for these three schools earmarked specific areas for vehicle parking to facilitate safe boarding and de-boarding of students on school premises, but it was found during inspections that these designated parking zones were no longer being used for their intended purpose.

At Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, parking areas marked as P1 and P2 in the sanctioned site plan were allegedly found to have been converted into a playground.

Similarly, at Strawberry Fields World School, parking zones G and H were allegedly being used as a playground.

At St Kabir Public School, designated parking areas B1 and C had allegedly been turned into a playground.

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During the presentation, UT Administration officials said the original intent behind the approved parking provisions was to ensure children could be picked up and dropped off safely on school campuses without having to board or alight from vehicles on public roads.

Under the STRAPS policy, schools are required to provide adequate internal arrangements for student transportation, regulate traffic movement during opening and closing hours, deploy staff for traffic management where necessary, and maintain one-way vehicular circulation to minimise road crossings by children.

Officials said the conversion of parking spaces directly affected the implementation of these safety measures, with insufficient internal parking available, parents are compelled to queue on surrounding roads, resulting in congestion, unsafe roadside boarding and de-boarding, and a higher risk of accidents involving students.

The UT Administration said designated parking areas must be restored in accordance with approved building plans and that all constructions or deviations within parking zones would have to be removed.

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“The Estate Office will verify compliance with sanctioned plans and initiate action wherever violations are found,” the DC said.

Director of Strawberry Fields World School Atul Khanna said, “It must be other schools, not ours. Must be an error. We have a full completion certificate.”

St Kabir Public School Chief Administrator Gurpreet Bakshi said, “We haven’t done any of this. The issue with St Kabir is that the sports complex is under construction, and the parking space as passed in the sanction plan is in the construction area. So, we have given an undertaking to the administration that the sanctioned plan will be followed to the letter. In case of any violation, we are liable.”

When contacted, the Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.