Govt school at LoC in Uri remains unbuilt since 2005 earthquake

Uri, Dec 15: Residents of Hathlanga village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have urged the authorities to construct a school building for the village.

According to locals, the building of the Government Boys Middle School Hathlanga was completely damaged in the 2005 earthquake and has not been rebuilt till date.

“It has been 19 years since the building was damaged but the Education Department has failed to construct a new one for the students,” said Talib Hussain, a local resident.

He said that the school is currently functioning from an Indian Army’s tailoring centre in the village.

“There are only two rooms for eight classes, and the school is being managed by just two teachers,” Talib added.

Mohd Rustam, another resident, said that this school is located on a hillock causing additional hardships for students. “Students have to walk around 3 kilometres to reach the school. This long distance has led many to stop attending. The presence of land mine fields in the vicinity of the school is another major concern,” he said.

A parent of a child enrolled in the school stated that Education Department officials had previously assured them of constructing a new building. “We were told to provide land for the construction, and a local resident even agreed to donate land. However, years have passed, and there has been no progress from the concerned department,” the parent said.

Locals have expressed disappointment over the neglect of government schools. “It’s unfortunate that the authorities have forgotten about schools in rural areas. Their focus is only to withdraw their salaries and ignore the maintenance and reconstruction of damaged school buildings,” they said.

The residents have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) administration, MLA Uri Dr Sajjad Shafi and Director School Education Kashmir to prioritise their grievance.

When contacted, Abdul Karim, Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Uri said that the matter had already been brought into the notice of higher authorities. “We have submitted a proposal in May to the Samagra Shiksha department requesting the reconstruction of the school building, however, we are yet to receive any response,” he said.