Udhampur: Jitendra Singh directs swift construction to replace destroyed school building

Union Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed on Wednesday that a temporary makeshift school building will accommodate the students of the Udhampur school, which was destroyed in landslides in 2014 till a permanent building was constructed.

He also issued instructions to the Deputy Commissioner, Ravinder Kumar, to immediately start the construction for a new school building.

This comes in the wake of reports that students of Saddal Primary School in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district study in the open in a forest after their school building was damaged in landslides in September 2014. The landslides had claimed the lives of at least 40 people, while an entire village was buried under debris.

"I just spoke to Ravinder Kumar and issued instructions to immediately shift the school to some other building for the time being, and meanwhile, initiate the process for construction of a new building," said Singh.

Despite several pleas to the concerned authorities, there has not been any forthcoming action in the matter. It was also revealed that the authorities had the funds for the construction of the new school building.

"We are teaching the kids in the open since the landslides in 2014. There is a private building where we conduct the classes but if the owners of the building need it, we have to accommodate the children out in the open. We have appealed to administration many times. They asked for documents of the land where the school building used to be, we provided all that but still, there was nothing done," a teacher at the school told ANI.

Speaking to ANI, the Kumar said, "I have asked for a detailed report in the matter, we have the funds for it so I hope that the construction will start soon, I will also have an inquiry initiated to find out why was there such a delay in the construction despite having funds.