Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Dec 8: The residents of Dargam village in Pattan area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district are awaiting the construction of a new building for the middle school of their village even as it was damaged in an earthquake a decade ago.
The school which has an enrolment of over 120 students is running from rented accommodation for the last one year after a team of engineers declared it unsafe. “After pursuing the matter with authorities for one decade, they sent a team of engineers to inspect the school. Subsequently, the engineers declared it unsafe in 2019,” a local said.
He said that the authorities risked the lives of students and ran it from the battered building for a decade. “They would carry minor repair works now and then. To hide the damage they would smear plaster of Paris on the cracks,” he added.
However, after repeated pleas of the locals, the authorities shifted the school and even prepared a detailed project report for the new building. “The DPR has been made and sent to Director SAMAGAHRA but no action has been done in last on year,” President Youth Committee Pattan, Mohammad Ashraf Wani said.
In 1960, Government established a Primary School in the village, which was running from a single rented room till 1998. The same year, Government upgraded the school to the middle level and constructed a three-room building. However, the building could not withstand the 2005 earthquake as the walls developed cracks. The cracks widened in 2014, leaving the building unsafe.
The locals of the area castigated the Education Department’s recent move to carry an enrolment drive. “Where will the new students study? They should first improve the infrastructure and then invite more students,” Irfan Ahmad, another resident said.
He said that students are also facing problems due to lack of washroom facilities in the rented accommodation. “The toilets are non-existent for one year since the school was shifted to the rented accommodation,” he added.
Deputy Chief Education Officer, Balbir Singh, told Excelsior that the proposal of the new building has been forwarded to the Government, “We are yet to receive the approval. But, we are expecting it soon,” he said.
Asked about the delay in the implementation, he said: “The process got delayed due to COVID-19 crisis. The work on the new building would have started otherwise.”
About the lack of washroom facilities in the rented accommodation, he said: “We will take up the issue with the concerned Zonal Education Officer. Such facilities should be available at the school.”
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