JAGTSINGHPUR: Chairman of the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), on Monday, sought the intervention of the district collector and asked the district education officer to conduct an inquiry into the unsafe primary school in Erasama which was also made into a cyclone shelter. The officer has been asked to submit the report by July 27, 2023.
Sources said, the cyclone shelter was constructed by Paradip Port Trust after the super cyclone. Later when the district administration formed a technical committee to identify of unsafe school buildings and to expedite the demolition of school buildings so that repair works of all old buildings can be done, in 2014, the cyclone shelter constructed by PPT at Government Primary School, Durgapur under Janakdeipur panchayat was declared unsafe. But the students continue to attend classes in the building even now. The school has classes from class I to V with a student strength of 29.
Locals alleged that the school does not have toilet or drinking water. During monsoon, rainwater submerges the verandah which doubles up as the Anganwadi centre. Sarpanch of Janakadeipur panchayat Jitendra Behera said we had sought the intervention of collector Parul Patwari and urged the administration to construct a new building by demolishing this unsafe building but nothing happened. “A day back, a student of class IV narrowly escaped from being hurt after a piece of concrete fell from the ceiling,” he said.
After getting allegations, chairperson, OSCPCR Mandakini Kar directed the collector, district education officer and district project coordinator, Samagra Shiksha to conduct an inquiry into the issue and submit an action taken report to the commission by July 27.
Senior technical consultant, Samagra Shiksha, Suvendu Barala said, “Non-availability of funds had created hindrances for demolition of the unsafe building. Now we have submitted the list of unsafe buildings to the Panchayati Raj department which is now looking into the construction of school buildings. But unsafe building are yet to be demolished.”