The Madhya Pradesh High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of a video showing schoolchildren risking their lives while crossing a damaged stop dam over the Betwa River to reach their school in Vidisha district.

The Court's intervention came after visuals surfaced showing children crossing a broken section of the dam, where a gap of around four feet has made the route particularly dangerous. The risk increases during the monsoon as the water level in the Betwa River rises.

Following the Court's intervention, Vidisha District Collector Buddhesh Kumar Vaidya visited Paloh village on Wednesday to assess the situation on the ground. He inspected the route used by the students, spoke to children and villagers, and directed officials to prepare and submit a detailed report to the High Court.

The children are residents of Kakarua village, where education is available only up to Class 8. Students seeking higher secondary education have to travel to Paloh High School.

Although a safer route through the main road is available, it requires students to travel nearly five kilometres one way. In comparison, crossing the damaged stop dam reduces the distance to around 1.5 to 2 kilometres. As a result, many students, including those who have bicycles, continue to use the risky shortcut to save time and distance.

Residents said the problem has persisted for the past five to six years. A former student recalled that he too had crossed the dam daily while attending Paloh High School.

The situation becomes particularly difficult during the four-month monsoon season, when rising water levels sometimes prevent students from reaching school altogether.

Vidisha Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kshitij Sharma said the district administration has submitted a proposal for constructing a temporary bridge across the river. Authorities are also exploring the possibility of opening a new school closer to the affected village.

District officials said the issue had not received much attention earlier because only two or three students from Kakarua village used to attend Paloh High School. This year, however, the number has increased to around 10 students, bringing the safety concerns into sharper focus.

The High Court's suo motu intervention has now put the spotlight on the lack of safe access to education for children in the area and the urgent need for a permanent solution.