Kids not allowed to enter Bal Bhavan

The celebration of Children’s Day at National Bal Bhavan by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani turned out to be a nightmare for both children as well their parents as kids were not allowed to enter into the campus citing security reasons. 

Parents along with their kids, who had come from different parts of the national capital, were stopped at the entrance gate only. According to Meenakshi, who brings her kids at Bal Bhavan each year on Children’s Day, was shocked to see that several others parent’s were waiting outside the entry gate.

“I had visited Bhavan last year too and it was very smooth entry. Today they are saying that kids having the identity cards of NBB would only be allowed. My kids have their school’s identity which was enough in the last to get into the NBB,” said Meenakshi, who had come here from Kalkaji ferrying autorickshow paying Rs 130 for the ride.

Blaming NBB officials for such mess, other aggrieved parent Prakash Kumar, who had come here along with his 9-year-old son, said, “They should have communicated to general public through newspaper or any other media to avoid such a glitch. The NBB has ‘imported’ children in buses to prove before HRD Minister Smriti Irani, but banned the ‘original’ visitors.”

“I’m visiting the Bhavan since 2012 regularly to mark the Children’s Day. It’s for the first time that kids have been not allowed to mark their day,” Kumar said, who had come here from Ajmeri Gate.

Apart from kids, even journalists, who were invited to attend the function by HRD Ministry, were not allowed to get the glimpse of the event.