There has been no clear directive from the district administration and BN Singh, Noida DM, said there’s no reason to panic at this point.
Due to lack of clear directives from the GB Nagar administration, some schools in Noida have remained open while others have closed down.
Vishwa Bharti Public School in Sector 28; Aster Public School in Noida Extension; Father Angel Public School in Noida Extension; Lotus Valley International School in Sector 126; Gyanshree School in Sector 127; Indraprastha Global School in Sector 93; DPS Noida; Khaitan School, Sector 40; and Step by Step School in Sector 132 have decided to remain closed for Tuesday as a “precautionary measure”, confirmed parents.
This comes in the wake of India Meteorological Department (IMD) storm alert, which included thunder showers in several parts of north India, including Delhi-NCR. Based on the prediction, the Union home ministry had sounded out an alert for 13 states and two union territories on May 6.
Manish Kumar, a parent of Aster Public School, said he received the message from the school at around 5.45 am. “In view of the warnings of a dust storm, as a precautionary measure the school will be closed from class nursery to XII,” the message read.
However, a few schools decided to continue business as usual.
Dr Savita Mehta, vice-president of Amity Group, told City Spidey that she checked the school email at around 6.30 am, but had not received any directive from the DM. The school, therefore, decided to keep open. "The prediction of the thunderstorm is between 3 pm to 8 pm, and students will anyway reach their homes before 3 pm," she said.
BN Singh, district magistrate of Noida, said there’s no reason to panic, and there’s no need to shut down schools right away. “If the weather turns threatening, we will take proper action and we are constantly in talks with weather experts,” he assured.
