NAGPUR: Primary school students remained trapped for nearly two hours inside the flooded Somalwar High School campus in Pratap Nagar on Tuesday before personnel from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) fire department rescued them through waist-deep water. Heavy rain inundated the school premises and surrounding roads, making it impossible for students to leave safely after classes. School authorities said floodwater rose rapidly, while two exit gates were rendered unusable due to the ongoing road construction outside the campus. The incident has once again put the spotlight on the delayed World Bank-funded road project between Pratap Nagar and Somalwar School. Residents alleged that incomplete road works, pending water and sewer line shifting, and excavated stretches worsened flooding in the area. They claimed the school had earlier written to the civic administration seeking completion of the approach road and restoration of access. According to school authority, fire personnel escorted children to safety as anxious parents waited outside the school. Teachers’ vehicles parked inside the campus were also submerged. Human chains were formed to rescue the trapped children. Nagpur recorded 108.1mm rainfall till 2.30pm on Tuesday, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre (IMD), triggering widespread waterlogging across the city.
