MUMBAI, July 13 -- With nearly 1,500 children displaced and forced into online learning, or relocated far from home, parents and education activists are demanding a third-party structural audit of the New Mahim Municipal English Primary School. The school, run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was recently vacated after being declared unsafe. Parents now fear the school will be demolished without any plan to rebuild it nearby, leaving Mahim without a civic school. The 50-year-old building, last repaired in 2017, was classified as C-2 in July 2024-in need of repairs but safe to occupy. However, by January 2025, it was declared C-1-completely unsafe and due for demolition. This raised concerns about the BMC's lack of transparency. Since the academic session began on June 15, classes have been conducted online. Primary section students will shift to a municipal school in Worli, 7-8km away, while the secondary section is yet to be relocated. Some students may be moved to two other schools. With plans still uncertain, many children are stuck in online mode. In a letter to the BMC commissioner, parents have asked the civic body to avoid demolishing the school without a third-party structural inspection. Pranali Raut, a local resident and executive member of the Mumbai Pradesh Committee of the Aam Aadmi Party, said, "In 2019, the Mori Road municipal school was demolished and a new building is yet to be built. If this school is also razed, there will be no civic school in this area." Educators too are worried. Shivnath Darade, secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Parishad, said, "A third-party audit must be conducted. If repairs are possible, the school should continue to function from its existing building. The BMC must not demolish the building until the long-pending Mori Road school construction is complete." Darade said demolishing this school could raise dropout rates sharply. "Most children studying here are from low-income families. They cannot afford a long commute or the fees of private schools." Suggestions to temporarily shift the school to a building in Kapad Bazar under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority were dismissed by the BMC, citing lack of infrastructure. Local MLA from Shiv Sena (UBT) Mahesh Sawant said, "We are also writing to the BMC, urging them to act in the interest of the students. If they plan to demolish the school, they must commit to building a new one at the same location." Despite repeated attempts, BMC education officials remained unavailable for comment....