Seven years on, new school building in Rohtak village stuck in red tape

It’s 12.30 pm on a sweltering summer day, yet small children can be seen trudging towards the Government Senior Secondary School in Garnawathi village, Rohtak. Despite the punishing heatwave, they’re bound for afternoon classes — the school has been running in two shifts for years due to lack of space.

The original school building was declared unsafe in 2016 and demolished in 2017. Since then, a proposal for a new structure has remained stuck in bureaucratic limbo.

“Schoolchildren are facing inconvenience due to the space crunch. The second-shift students have to attend classes during peak afternoon heat. We''ve raised the issue in Zila Parishad meetings. The new building should be constructed at the earliest in the students'' interest,” said Jaidev Dagar, the local Zila Parishad member.

Garnawathi sarpanch Satyavir Singh said, “Villagers have staged protests over the delay. Authorities say the project is in the pipeline. We hope it materialises soon.”

While the school principal Anita Devi declined to comment, District Education Officer (DEO) Manjeet Malik confirmed that the project is awaiting budget sanction. “A revised cost estimate of around Rs 9 crore has been sent to the state authorities. Construction will begin once funds are approved,” he said.