School children face risks in crossing stream in Bandipora in absence of bridge

Bandipora, Apr 28:  Scores of children living in uphill villages in north Kashmir's Bandipora district face risks in reaching school.

The children from Budinaar, Frasdob, Chanapal, and other nearby hamlets in Aragam and Chitthaybanday have to walk long distances to reach school at Chanapal, but the walk to school is filled with challenges.

With the road from Chitthaybanday to Chanpal in dilapidated condition and nearly non-commutable, and also without a bridge, the school children find it "extremely difficult" and "risky" to reach the school, especially those who receive education at High School Chanapal.

This reporter witnessed a group of children crossing a road near a spot called Frasdob, where a freshwater stream gushes over it on a sunny day on Wednesday, with a few meters long bridge near the spot pending completion "for a long time".

The school children helped each other to cross the waters, with smaller children being lifted in arms to avoid getting slipped into the water.

However, the situation gets more challenging when the weather is rainy. "This is the task we have to face daily and twice in the day," Shabeena Bano, a 10th standard student from High Chanapal, told Greater Kashmir.

Bano, who along with a group of children walks to the school from a nearby village Budinaar, added they often wade through mud and slush, and when it rains, "the situation gets far worse and more challenging."

"Besides having to take the risk to cross the gushy stream, our uniforms are often soiled and shoes remain wet," Bano said as a group of children agreed in unison.

"This is the shortest route to the school," Bano said. But they often have to "take an alternative road which takes us hours to reach school," as the rivulet is often flooded and they are unable to cross it whenever it rains.

The children at times have to return home midway, "It's very difficult for us," another student said.

"We are so small, there are little children too and our siblings, at times fall while crossing and get hurt, such is the flow of the rivulet," another female student said.

"It is so difficult and frustrating to go to school in these conditions, please do anything and construct the bridge," the girl student requested.

Some locals who spoke to this newspaper said the road's condition "was the same for many years", with the construction work also left unfinished "for long".

Even though there is a PMGSY road passing from the other side of the village, the villagers from this side continue to take the brunt.