Kandhamal school redeveloped at Rs 45 lakh under 5T initiative, reality differs

A whopping Rs 45 lakh was spent for the development of a high school at Bandapipili village under Kotagarh in Kandhamal district under the Odisha government’s ambitious 5T initiative.

The students were also excited as their school was being given a fresh look under the 5T initiative. However, incomplete construction works and dilapidated structures at the school speak a different tale altogether. The boundary wall of the school is yet to be completed.

The mid-day meal for the students is being prepared inside an abandoned building. While cracks have developed in the walls of the old kitchen of the school, water leaks from the roof as the asbestos sheets stand broken at multiple places.

Instead of installing a new gate, the contractor painted the old-rusted gate to give it a fresh lease of life. As the concrete flooring work is pending, the open gym for the students is not coming to any use. The resentment among students is increasing as there is no proper playground for them. The tiles at multiple places stand broken and the condition of classrooms is also no different.

“We were excited as 5T initiative was coming to our school. We thought that we will get facilities like English medium schools. But nothing changed as old gate is still being used and water is leaking at the school kitchen,” said a student.

“We do not have a playground and there are other problems at the school,” said another student. Meanwhile, the district administration officials could not be contacted over the matter.