Kharar smart school bogged down by slush

Gaurav Kanthwal

Mohali, July 4

Government High Smart School, Desumajra, in Kharar has been shut for the past four days as waterlogging due to rainwater and sewage disposal has ravaged the school complex. As a result, no classes could be held at the school, affecting nearly 1,000 schoolchildren.

Hazardous for kids

This is an annual occurrence here. The playground and classes are filled with slush. Children can fall and get hurt Baljit Singh, Desumajra resident

The classrooms of the primary wing are filled with slush and rainwater. The high school wing classes had to be cancelled till Monday on the directions of the higher officials.

The school playground and the main entrance are partially inaccessible due to waterlogging. Foul smell has started emanating from the stagnant water, which has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The teaching staff have expressed apprehension about the safety of the building owing to constant waterlogging.

Sources said the teaching staff on Monday approached the Kharar SDM and the municipal council to drain water from the school complex. Sources said a nearby village had diverted rainwater and sewage towards the school after it started entering low-lying houses in the area.

The local councillors reportedly deployed an earthmoving machine and dug up the road to create passage for stagnant water. A water outlet drain of the NHAI near Desumajra flyover is also said to be adding to the problem.

Desumajra resident Baljit Singh said: “This is an annual occurrence here. The playground and classes are filled with slush. Children can fall and get hurt.”

This at a time when the newly-formed AAP government in Punjab claims school education is on its top priority.

Meanwhile, residents of 12 villages near New Chandigarh have alleged waterlogging in Government Secondary Smart School, Rani Majra, which has affected classes of children studying here.