HARIDWAR (UTTARAKHAND): Students of a Haridwar government school are being forced to study on the road after the building the school was located in was demolished by its owner without warning.
Students of Primary school No. 23 were shifted to a private building for the monsoon season because of the poor condition of the government building. Owners of the building took advantage of the Diwali vacations to demolish the building.
When students reached the building on Monday, they found the building destroyed with a Nagar Nigam notice for demolition. Even the mid-day meal could not be provided due to the issue and students had to study on an empty stomach.
Principal Usha Rawat, teachers and students lodged a complaint against the landlords with the police but were rebuked for making what the police termed as a frivolous plea.
"We would have made arrangements if the owner had notified us about this demolition. Still no action has been taken by the police," she said.
A teacher, Babli, said the school has been running for a decade and the government should provide students their rights.
Hungry and tired children said they want to study inside the school and not on the road.
City Magistrate Manish Kumar said the owner had submitted an application for demolition of the building and a letter had been passed for the school's transfer.
"Today, we came to know that children have faced problems in their classes, and it is our responsibility to make sure that their studies are not affected," Kumar said.
School CRC coordinator Anju Mehndi Ratta blamed the building's owner for the inconvenience caused.
"I have notified the higher education authorities about the situation. We will make sure that the government fulfills these basic requirements of the students," she said.