Classes taken by road project, Nurpur pupils study under sky

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, March 14

Students of government schools at Kandwal and Bhadwar under the Nurpur Elementary Education Block are forced to study in the open, adjacent to the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway in Nurpur. Reason? Their school premises were acquired by the NHAI for the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane project two years ago.

The construction company had released compensation amount to the state government and dismantled the school buildings. However, the state government’s lackadaisical approach has forced the students to study in the open, close to where the old school buildings once stood.

This delay in the construction of the school buildings at Kandwal and Bhadwar was recently raised during the Budget session by local MLA Ranbir Singh Nikka.

Enquiries revealed that five government primary school premises close to the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway-154 — at Kandwal, Bodh, Baan, Bhadwar and Khajjian — had been acquired by the NHAI two years back. Though the Education Department has constructed new buildings at Bodh, Baan, Bhadwar, they still are not in use.

The old primary school building at Kandwal had been built on private land belonging to a local resident and the NHAI released the compensation amount in favour of the land owner, while the structure’s compensation was released to the state government. The government has allotted only new land to the Elementary Education Department for the construction of new school premises during the past two years.

Bhadwar gram panchayat chief Arun Kumar said classrooms of the primary school in his panchayat had been built, but the construction of the senior secondary school building is yet to be started. He urged the government authorities to ensure that the building is constructed before the arrival of the monsoon season.

Block Elementary Education Officer (BEEO) Ram Gopal Playa said all efforts were being made for the early construction and completion of the primary school buildings, and funds had been sanctioned for the purpose by the state government. He admitted that only the construction of the primary school buildings at Kandwal and Khajjian was yet to be completed.

He said the Deputy Director, Elementary Education, Kangra, supported him for the sanction of new classrooms and get the budget allocated by the state government for the construction of the building.

Expedite work

The construction of the senior secondary school building is yet to be started. The government should expedite the work before the arrival of the monsoon season. — Arun Kumar, Bhadwar panchayat chief

Funds allocated

All efforts were being made for the early completion of the primary school buildings for which sanctioned funds had been allocated by the state government. — Ram Gopal Playa, BEEo

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