Amid heatwave, BJP’s Satpal Satti for closure of educational institutes in lower areas of Himachal

Una, June 17

BJP MLA from Una Satpal Singh Satti today demanded that all educational institutions in the lower regions of the state be closed with immediate effect in view of the extreme heat conditions.

He said Una district was part of the lower plains of the state and was enduring unprecedented hot weather.

In a press release issued here, Satti said the maximum temperature during the day was hovering between 45 and 46° C, and many children had reportedly fallen sick due to the extreme weather conditions.

He said officers sitting in air conditioned rooms were unaware of the fact that students in government educational institutions did not have access to cold water.

They had to drink water stored in the open in steel/brick masonry tanks, which were very hot due to the heatwave, Satti added.

The BJP MLA said the old system of annual school holidays starting from 14 July was practiced in Una district because, during the monsoons, the rivulets would swell up and very few schools were established in the district. Consequently, children had to walk across many villages to reach their schools.

However, today, there is a school in every area of the district and all water channels have bridges over them, he added.

“The Education Department should change the annual holidays from the monsoons to the summers, at least in Una district, to prevent children from getting sick,” he said.