School renovation begins with the walk

The renovation of the path up to school is one of the most prominent developments of the semester. Being a central part of every student’s life, the change has not gone unnoticed. 

As most students were unaware of the renovation, they were surprised by the new stone-based path. 

Mr. Raveesh Dogra, Head of the Estates Office, said that the authorities “specially budgeted for this path because students should have a proper surface to walk on.” 

The plan was devised during the Board meeting held last year and a budget of 12 lakh was placed in the overall development. 

The school decided to use stones to build the path because concrete is inclined to get slippery during monsoons and provides even less traction when it snows. Furthermore, stone paths are more sustainable since concrete requires to be produced by mixing water, aggregate, and cement in a machine which increases the school’s carbon footprint.

In fact, the stones used in the construction of the path are found in the Mussoorie region. The school could have used smoother stones from Rajasthan, however, that would contribute to a bigger carbon footprint due to transportation and burning of fossil fuels. 

Mr. Enosh Thomas, a member of the Estate Office, said, “since we talk about sustainability all the time, it makes sense to use these stones.”

There are also numerous other renovations that have been done on the path. 

Along the sides, there are higher and safer railings, better lighting, and a drainage system to get rid of the water during monsoon. 

Three years ago, there was an incident where a small landslide occurred and majority of the path was blocked. To avoid the recurrence, a retaining wall has been placed towards the side which prevents stones and mud from falling on the path. 

The Estates Office is aware of the conflicting opinions on the path and understand that it might be “difficult to walk on during summer, especially with heels.” However, according to Mr. Thomas, “all such developments come from a safety and sustainable perspective for the students.” 

Although, “we don’t have that much money budgeted to complete all the paths,” Mr. Dogra said, the school hopes to finish the renovations by next year. 

Edited by Archita Aggarwal

Featured Image by Aditi Deswal