Bombay High Court takes cognizance of children rowing across snake infested dam reservoir to reach school

The Bombay High Court last week took suo motu cognizance of children in Bhiw Dhanora village of Aurangabad district using Thermocol rafts to travel across a snake infested dam reservoir to reach school..A division bench of Justices Ravindra V Ghuge and YG Khobragade took note of a newspaper report published by the Times of India on August 27.The report spoke about 15 children of Bhiw Dhanora village of Aurangabad district going to school sitting on thick thermocol sheets and travelling across the Jaikwadi dam reservoir every day.The father of one of the children told the Times reporter that the situation became daunting due to the presence of poisonous snakes in the water."I do not want my children to remain illiterate like me. So my daughter and son travel on the Thermocol sheet to go to school. It becomes daunting due to the presence of venomous snakes in the water," the father said in the report..The court noted that this situation has remained so for the last 47 years ever since the dam was made.Advocate Pushkar Shendurnikar was appointed amicus curiae to assist the Court in the matter to prepare a PIL petition in this regard.He was granted the liberty to contact the ToI news reporter for additional information. Shendurnikar will present the plea before the bench on September 4, when the court will issue further directions. .This is the second instance of the Bombay High Court taking cognizance of news reports concerning children not having proper means of transport to attend school.In January 2022, the principal bench of the High Court had taken suo motu cognizance after reading a report that young girls in Satara district's Khirkhandi village were plying a boat by themselves across the Koyna dam reservoir to reach their school."The laudable object of the motto 'Beti bachao, Beti padhao' (Save the girl, educate the girl) can be achieved only by providing a safe passage and a friendly atmosphere and environment for the girl children by the State," the Court added.It urged the state government to provide good roads so that children can go to their educational institutes without any hassle..[Read Order]