Bandipora: Some schools in Gurez Valley did not reopen due to the inclement weather as several students and school staff awaits being airlifted from other parts of the north Kashmir’s Bandipora district while the road to Gurez remains closed.
The schools in Tulail and other parts of Gurez Valley wore a deserted look.
“Though there are some locally stationed teachers who live near schools, the majority of the staff is not in or from Gurez,” said Abdul Raheem, a local Sarpanch.
He said that they had been awaiting helicopters to land in Gurez for almost a month and many students, staff, officials, and ailing persons remain stranded.
With COVID-19 forcing the closure of schools for over two years, the educational institutions were set to open after a long haul on Wednesday.
In Bandipora, scores of jubilant students were seen moving towards schools.
The school children were seen dressed up early morning waiting on roads for the buses to arrive while others, accompanied by parents, walked to schools.
In some areas of Gurez, the school children wearing woolens were seen moving towards schools cutting through the snow.
Most of the school staff of Gurez schools is stuck in Bandipora and awaiting airlifting while the inclement weather has stopped the majority of air sorties from taking off.
Members of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) had appealed for the early opening of the Gurez-Bandipora road but the inclement weather has prolonged the snow-clearance operations.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bandipora, Owais Ahmad said that with better weather prediction for the next three to four days, the staff would be airlifted to Gurez as the government had availed more chopper sorties.