Girls deprived of edu due to unfinished schoolbuilding

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 29

The abandoned unfinished building of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in the remotest Basnote village of Mongri tehsil in Udhampur district reflects the “casual” approach being adopted by the higher authorities in implementing welfare programmes in inaccessible areas.

The “callous” attitude of the bureaucrats is taking a toll on the education of girls of disadvantaged groups of society for whom this institution was sanctioned in 2010 for setting up residential schools at the elementary level.

“Being one of the most backward block of J&K, the KGBV was sanctioned for Mongri so that the girls belonging to weaker and marginalised sections of society would get education. Unfortunately, the authorities have abandoned the building midway thus depriving the girls a chance to get education,” Parshotam Singh, a social activist of Mongri, said.

Fed up with repeated false assurances of the authorities, inhabitants of this belt have approached Lt-Governor Girish Chandra Murmu to intervene so that the building could be completed at the earliest.

Ironically, five teachers were transferred for this school despite the fact that the building of the institution is yet to be completed. “Now the teachers have been attached to Middle School, Basnote, as the KGBV building is unfinished”, Singh said.

Ram Kumar Gupta, Deputy Chief Education Officer, Udhampur, admitted that there was some building issue. However, he said he would seek details from the official concerned.

The locals said Rs 90 lakh was sanctioned for the construction of the school building, but the authorities have abruptly left the building incomplete.