Panipat school construction incomplete, 350 kids forced to study in dharamshalas

Tribune News Service

Mukesh Tandon

Panipat, April 22

Due to the slow pace of the construction of a school building, over 350 children of a government primary school near Mata Chowk in Ward 11 are forced to study in two dharamshalas of the city.

Earlier, their old school building was declared unsafe but the students were forced to study there for a long time.

Inconvenience for pupils, teachers

We have been facing a lot of problems daily as there is so much noise in the hall. It is difficult to take a class as four-five classes are underway at one time in the hall — A teacher

After councillor Komal Saini raised the issue of the unsafe school building with the authorities, it was finally demolished in 2018.

After that, the matter was raised at the House meeting and a fund of Rs 80 lakh was allotted to the Municipal Corporation for the construction of a new school building in accordance with the CM’s announcement.

The MC had allotted the tender and work order to contractor Aman Kumar after getting approval in December 2021. MLA Pramod Vij, former Mayor Avneet Kaur and former councillor Komal Saini and the then Commissioner RK Singh had laid the foundation stone and the work was started but even after 28 months, the work is yet to be completed. Meanwhile, around 350 children have been studying in two dharamshalas.

These students study in eleven sections of Classes I to V, of which children of six classes sit at Saini Dharamshala’s hall while those of other five classes sit at Lodha Dharamshala.

As students of all classes sit in a single hall, the arrangement is inconvenient to both students and teachers.

Earlier, the midday meal of the children was cooked at Tomar Dharamshala, but as some construction work started there, the meals are being cooked at Lodha Dharamshala now.

A teacher, on the condition of anonymity, the work on the building was gong on at a very slow pace. “We have been facing a lot of problems daily as there is so much noise in the hall. It is difficult to take a class as four-five classes are underway at one time in the hall,” said the teacher.

The work is so slow that only a hall has been constructed at ground floor and walls of rooms have been raised on the first floor. There is no plaster, paint, windows, toilets as of now.

Dinesh Saini, husband of a former councillor, Komal Saini, said after the construction started, a local resident went to the court and took a stay on the work, but the court gave its order in favour of the school. Then the complainant approached the High Court. But, after seeing the documents, the High Court too gave its decision in favour of the school in January. “The work had to be stopped midway, but the contractor has restarted work two days ago,” he said.

Aman Kumar, contractor, who was working said the main reason behind the delay in construction was the stay order by the court. “Now, work has again started and will be completed soon,” he said.

Pradeep Kalyan, Executive Engineer, MC, Panipat, said the main reason behind the delay in the construction of the school was a court case. Now, after the decision of the High Court, the contractor has started the work again and he has been directed to expedite the construction, he added.

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