Gutted School building in Baramulla facing repairing chaos

Akeel Rashid | Jibran Nazir

BARAMULLA

Last year on January 24, a major portion of Govt. High Secondary for boys building in North Kashmir’s Baramulla was gutted in fire. Fifteen months later, after endless communications from School administration, the needed repairing work continues to be stalled.

During the same period, the volume of paperwork and letters has been exchanged between school and authorities concerned, but of no avail.

The repairing chaos has hit the 1500 students enrolled in the school. These students are braving harsh weather conditions by taking their classes under open sky and in makeshift arrangements.

Interestingly, the school is located just a few steps away from the district commissioners office, where a request for its repair is pending since last January.

“Nobody seems to be concerned about students or what they face,” Mehraj-ud-din Fafoo, the school principal told Kashmir Life.

Due to the paucity of accommodation, the principal said, the classes have been shifted to laboratory, sports block and in the open ground which mostly remains sub-merged in water during rains. “It has become immensely difficult for us to conduct regular classes,” he said.

A large drain that passes from near the school ground further adds to the woes. Further, the recent rainfall has made the building prone to collapse which has threatened the safety of students and staff.

The principal asserted that he has done everything he could. “I visited the concerned authorities several times and the estimate for the reconstruction of the gutted building was also proposed by R&B department,” he said.

The reconstruction of the gutted building will take a long time, he said, “And we have suggested the authorities to install the pre-fabricated huts in the sports lawn and other vacant spaces for accommodating our students, but they seem to be paying no heed to it.”

Farooq Ahmad Lone, Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, said that he has personally visited the school and found lackness accommodation problem. “The process for the release of funds is underway and we are trying to get it done as soon as possible,” he assured.

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