Fifteen-year-old Sheenu Sharma, who along with her father came to visit National Bal Bhawan at Kotla Road near ITO on Tuesday, was one among hundreds of other students who were disheartened to know that entry to the Bhawan had been closed for general public till June 22.
A notice board hanging at the main enterance displayed that the Bhawan was closed since May 17.
Many children who had been frequenting the Bhawan are returning disheartened as the authorities have not publicised the closure dates through mass media platforms, said sources..
It caters to children between the age group of 5 and 16 years. The Bhawan is open from 9 am to 5.30 pm and is closed on Sunday, Monday and on gazetted holidays.
The Bhawan engages children in different activities like mass singing, paining, rallies, discussions, creative writing and science fairs. A large number of children frequent the Bhawan to enjoy ride in the toy train and to see traffic park, laughing mirro, science park and mini zoo among other star attractions.
Asked why entry has been restricted for general public, a security guard at the main enterance said this has been done on the directions of the director as ‘Summer Fiesta —2016’ was going on. Efforts to reach out to the authorities yielded no results.
Many students who had to return back without getting a chance to visit the Bhawan said they had no information that the entry to the institution has been stopped till June 22. But the security guard was quick to add that the information was displayed on the Bhawan’s website. But questions are being raised as how many people check the website before visiting the Bhawan said an eager student who had come to Bal Bhawan.