Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, May 9: Hilly terrain and lack of transport facilities have severely delayed construction of a school building for Middle School Beena Kanthol in the remote Sadda Panchayat of Khawas block in Rajouri district, forcing students to study in inadequate conditions for years.
The school is located nearly 5 kilometres away from the nearest road in a remote tribal belt where road connectivity is still unavailable.
Due to the difficult terrain, construction material has to be carried manually or through horses and mules, making the process expensive and time-consuming. Locals said several school building projects sanctioned in the past could not be completed as contractors refused to continue work because of high transportation costs and geographical difficulties.
They said one contractor had earlier managed to construct only the plinth after transporting material through horses and mules before abandoning the work midway.
Officials said the project has now been sanctioned again under Samagra Shiksha.
Chief Education Officer Rajouri, Mohammad Hafiz, said that after taking charge, he came to know about the hardships being faced by the students and took up the matter for fresh sanctioning of the project.
He said the sanctioned work includes construction of 2 additional classrooms and 1 elementary classroom at a cost of Rs 26.57 lakh with a completion period of 6 months.
The CEO said construction work has now started through a local contractor and efforts are being made to complete it during the summer vacations.
At present, the school is functioning from a single iron-sheet room, while students from different villages of Sadda Panchayat walk 3 to 5 kilometres daily through mountainous terrain to attend classes.
Locals said transportation expenses almost double the cost of construction material and appealed to the Government and district administration to ensure timely completion of the school building for the benefit of tribal students.
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