UTTAR PRADESH : Purkazi, a small town in Muzaffarnagar district of western Uttar Pradesh, is set to achieve a long-awaited milestone. For the first time in its history, students will be able to pursue higher secondary education within the town itself, eliminating the need to travel to neighbouring districts after completing Class 10.
The credit for this goes to Zaheer Farooqui, a two-time chairperson of the Purkazi Nagar Panchayat, who went beyond his official responsibilities by donating nearly Rs 1.5 crore worth of his personal land for the construction of the school. Besides serving as chairperson of the Purkazi Nagar Panchayat, he is a lawyer by profession and a prominent farmer leader. Elected in 2017, he soon identified education as the key to his area’s social progress.
For years, he watched local children—especially girls—undertake daily journeys in crowded buses and unsafe three-wheelers to attend senior schools outside Purkazi. Troubled by the hardship and risks involved, Farooqui decided to act. He donated his own land to bring higher education closer to home.
Soon after assuming office, he focused on upgrading government schools by providing classrooms with adequate desks and chairs and introducing internet-connected smart boards. His efforts bore fruit and the learning environment and improved access to quality education helped hundreds of students.
The results attracted attention. One of the town’s government schools was selected under the PM SHRI (Prime Minister Schools for Rising India) scheme, through which selected institutions are developed into model schools.
Farooqui’s work, however, also extended to improving civic life. He championed several initiatives that challenged conventional perceptions and addressed local needs. Among them was perhaps India’s first double-storey government-run gaushala. Where many local bodies struggled to utilise funds allocated for cow shelters, Purkazi made a facility with sections for calves, pregnant cows, injured animals and aged cattle.
The shelter is self-sustainable. A solar-powered fodder-cutting machine supports daily operations, veterinary care is provided regularly, and cattle dung is processed into organic manure that is sold to generate revenue.
Public safety has been another priority. In 2018, the Nagar Panchayat rolled out a town-wide IP-CCTV surveillance network equipped with high-resolution cameras capable of reading vehicle registration numbers. The system has assisted law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations, including helping identify an accused from Uttarakhand in a sensitive case involving a six-year-old child.
The surveillance network also serves civic purposes. Cameras are fitted with loudspeakers to broadcast emergency warnings, government announcements and public-awareness messages. Farooqui also sought to advance women’s health and empowerment. In 2019, Purkazi became one of the first towns in the region to establish a gymnasium exclusively for women.
