Kulgam, Sep 27: Less than four years after it was handed over to school authorities, the Government High School in the C R Pora village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam has been deemed unsafe after developing cracks.
The structure has been deemed unsafe for the use of students and staff by the education department. Due to the cracks, the authorities worry that the structure could collapse and cause any human casualties.
Following the development of cracks in the newly constructed building in 2021, Government High School C R Pora is currently housed in a few small rooms.
With 136 students enrolled in sixth to tenth grade, the school is now housed in an outdated structure without a science lab or other facilities due to a lack of available space.
According to officials of the education department, the building’s anticipated cost was 39.91 lakhs and it took 36.91 lakhs to complete it and was handed over on November 17, 2017.
“Last year in 2021, the building was declared unsafe for the students and staff after the principal reported that the school had grown cracks on the walls and may collapse,” an official told Rising Kashmir.
Locals said that the newly constructed eight-room building is useless and that the authorities must investigate the process.
“We are unable to understand how a building constructed on modern lines develops cracks within a few years. There is a probability that it might have collapsed with students and staff inside,” the local added.
Local resident Mohd Ayoub told Rising Kashmir that they did not understand why a building on which money had been utilised extensively would start to show cracks after only four years.
“Students are back in the old building with small classrooms. The students aren’t finding it comfortable to be at school,” he said.
Abdul Gani, Deputy Chief Education Officer Kulgam said they have already written to the executing agency and Samagra Shiksha for the factual report about the deterioration and fissures in the school building.
“We have sent a communique to the executing agency (R&B) and Samagra Shiksha some 10 days back for the report about this building which developed cracks within four years after it was handed over to school authorities. The report is pending, yet” he said.
He said that only after their report, the department will be able to ascertain what went wrong.
“We are waiting for the reports of the building and other technical points that led to cracks and damage to the building,” he added.
