Odisha government is spending crores of rupees in transforming the schools under the 5T initiative with the objective to ensure a bright future for the students. However, on the other hand, the money spent for the purpose seems to be going down the drain.
One such glaring example is the Jateswar School at Balianta, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
The school was inaugurated less than two months ago. It has classes from Standard I to VIII with around 150 students. But, after a brief downpour, rainwater flooded the classrooms of the school, leaving the students as well as the staff a worried lot.
“When it was raining, rainwater came down through the stairs and entered our classroom. While the teaching was affected, we are facing a lot of problems as the floor is dirty. The school building is newly-constructed but some works are still pending,” alleged Chandan Kumar Rout, a student.
The parents and the residents of the villager held the contractor responsible for the present situation at the school. They attributed it to the low quality and faulty construction work.
“After summer vacation, the school reopened on June 21. Since the drain pipes on the rooftop were clogged with garbage, the rainwater was not discharged properly and overflowed and entered the classroom through the staircase. The contractor was called in and he blocked the water flow. Now, the problem has been fixed,” said Bainchuan Samiti member, Phani Bhushan Barik.
When contacted, Khordha district Collector, K Sudarshan Chakraborty said, “The issue occurred due to the blockage in the pipes on the terrace. After getting the information, the pipes were immediately cleaned and the issue was sorted out. I will ask the DEO to take steps to get the terrace pipes of all the schools cleaned.”