Baupur school cleared of silt, readies for classes

The recent floods in Punjab have caused significant damage to school infrastructure in the villages of Sultanpur Lodhi. Many schools are still completely filled with silt. The desks, chairs and mid-day meal provisions inside the classrooms have all been ruined by the water.

In response, the Government Teachers’ Union of Kapurthala has taken on the responsibility of clearing the silt from these flood-hit government schools. Floods from the swollen Beas had hit the area in the second week of August. While other schools of the district opened last week, there are about 28 schools which are yet to start functioning normally.

State committee member Rachhpal Singh Warraich and district president Sukhchain Baddhan explained that a team from the Government Teachers’ Union, Kapurthala, had recently visited the school in the flood-affected village of Baupur in Sultanpur Lodhi. Seeing the extensive damage caused by the floods, the union immediately decided to clean the school.

Warraich, along with other union leaders and some young volunteers, arrived at the Baupur school. Using washing pumps and other equipment, they worked until the evening, cleaning silt-filled classrooms, verandahs, kitchen and furniture.

The leaders stated that the school’s ground and park are also filled with silt and will be

cleaned once the water recedes. They added that the union plans to clean more schools in the coming days.

School teachers Yadwinder Singh Pandori and Amandeep Singh Bidhipur thanked everyone for their efforts. Jaswinder Singh Shikarpur, Sukhwinder Singh Kalewal, Avtar Singh Haibatpur, Gurpreet Singh Bulpur, Jagjit Singh, Sukhdev

Singh Bulpur and Karaj Singh Baupur were among those who contributed to the service.