Bhubaneswar: A private school at Chintamaniswar area in the Smart City was sealed by the authorities of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday for allegedly violating COVID-19 norms.
A senior BMC officials informed that despite a strict directions that all educational institutions will remain closed till December 31 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the private school was open and conducting offline classes.
The violations came to light when a surprise inspection was carried out at the school where some examination was being conducted by the school authorities.
Surprisingly all the students were found present at the school without school uniforms to avoid suspicion.
"We got information that classes were being conducted and examination was underway at Sai Saraswati Bidya Mandir today. Later, we had sent our enforcement team to the spot. The team found that there were some students and we got evidence that the classes and exams were being conducted. Hence, we have sealed the school," said a senior BMC official.
The official further stated that a detailed report will be sent to School and Mass Education Department for necessary action.
It is pertinent to mention here that BMC has been strict so far the compliance of the Covid-19 norms by individuals and commercial institutions in the Smart City is concerned.
Several hotels, restaurants as well as shops and other commercial establishments had been sealed for violating Covid-19 guidelines as well as social distancing norms in the past.
(This is a developing story and will be updated after more details.)