MYSURU: With authorities digging up roads and suspending boat services across Kabini to restrict movement on the Karnataka-Kerala border due to Covid-19, over 150 children are worried and stranded as regular classes will start in Kerala schools from November 1.
Anxious parents are appealing to authorities to resume boat services so that students can cross the river and reach schools and colleges in Parikallur, Pulpali, Sultan Bathery of Wayanad district in Kerala. Though DB Kuppe, Bavali, Machur, Annemala and Hosahalli border villages fall in HD Kote taluk, their proximity to Kerala has made parents put their wards in Kerala government-run schools. Students cross the river to attend classes in Parikallur and Palpali while a few others pursuing undergraduate courses take buses to reach Sultan Bathery for college.
With the steep rise in daily Covid-19 caseload in Kerala, the Karnataka government ordered the closure of the borders, suspended boat services, dug roads connecting villages and made the RT-PCR negative report mandatory to enter Karnataka. The move not only made hundreds jobless but also denied an opportunity to students to attend classes.
Fatima, a student, said she is missing regular classes as there is no connectivity to reach Palpalli. “If this continues, we may face a shortage of attendance and also lose an academic year,” she feared. Sameer, a parent, said the ban across the border and boating facilities prevented them from collecting uniforms, textbooks and free ration provided to school children by the Kerala government.
“We are worried about the future of our children. We want the government to relax norms and allow children to cross the river to attend classes. We have appealed to the local authorities to take a decision in the interest of the students,” he said.
Meanwhile, many villagers maintained that they can’t afford to send their children to private institutions in HD Kote and other places and have decided to enroll their wards in Kerala government-run schools. Mahesh, a resident of Machur, said many have lost work and have no money as they could not work in farms in Kerala for over five months now. Many who operate bank accounts in Kerala villages were unable to visit banks due to stringent norms. “Banks in Balle, Antarasanthe, HD Kote and Belthur are too far, hence we prefer to open accounts in Parikallur which is a 20-minute ride in a boat,” he said.