On Children's Day students, parents protest installation of mobile tower in B'pora school

Bandipora, 14 Nov: On Children's Day, when schools across the country celebrate and children are happy, smiling, and playing to mark the day, it was completely opposite at a Bandipora school today.

Several students and their parents Thursday held a silent protest against installation of mobile tower at a school in north Kashmir's Bandipora district.

The protesting parents termed the installation of a mobile tower in the school premises as bad for the children's health. "It is hugely hazardous for the young children," they said.

"It is unfortunate that on children's day we along with the children had to protest," a local Mohammad Sonauallah told Greater Kashmir as he stood outside the Government Boys Middle school at Nuso.

Locals allege that the executing company has been constructing the tower at "odd times" while keeping the village elders in darkness.

The grave repercussions of the radiations emitted by these towers is an established fact, constructing it in the school premises poses a greater risk, Sonaullah said.

Locals said, the construction is going on despite applications against the move being sent to the district administration and the zonal education office Bandipora.

They added even when the company too was intimated about the concerns of the locals and parents, they were not paying any heed and were and continue to move ahead with the construction.

Former MLA of the district also flagged the issue, criticizing the authorities for allowing the construction in school premises.

He also demanded the administration to immediately revoke the permission for the construction in order to maintain safety of the children in school.