Kupwara: The dilapidated condition of a decade-old government primary school building located at Hangnikoot village of Handwara has failed to get the attention of the education department. The building poses a threat to students and teachers both.
The three-room building has developed huge cracks on all sides and is crumbling with each passing day.
Authorities seem to be in deep slumber, even after the matter has been brought into their notice numerous times.
“The building can collapse anytime and result in fatalities,” said locals of the area.
Deputy sarpanch of the village Ashiq Hussain Deedad told Greater Kashmir that over sixty students were studying at government SSA school Deedad Mohalla Hangnikoot who are constantly taking classes in the unsafe building.
“The school was also running without the facility of a washroom due to which students and especially female students were suffering badly,” he added.
“Earlier washroom was built here but it was damaged due to heavy snow in 2013 and since then school has been running without a washroom,” Ashiq said.
“We have requested authorities to shift the school to a rented building till a new building is built but every time our plea seems to fall on deaf ears,” the locals said.
They urged authorities to take concrete steps for the infrastructural development of the school so that students of the area do not have to leave their studies halfway.
An official said that efforts were on to shift the school to a rented building till a new building is built for the school. “After all formalities, the school will be shifted to some rented building,” he added.