More than 120 students of Tilak Chowk Routh Primary School at Arandi No. 2 gram panchayat in Arambagh are continuously facing life-threatening conditions, as the school building is badly damaged and on the verge of total collapse.

The headmaster of the school, Ashok Ghoroi, said that during the last floods on 18 September, 2024, the office room and the adjacent room were completely washed away. “The remaining portion of the school building has developed wide cracks. The entire structure of the building has weakened. The main road passes in front of the school, and when heavy vehicles pass by, the impact causes chunks of the walls and roof to come loose. We are forced to make the students sit on the verandah. I have approached the concerned authorities, appealing to them to promptly repair and renovate the school building. More than six months have passed, but all efforts have been in vain. A major accident could happen at any time,” said the headmaster.

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Joydeb Mallick and other parents said that the last floods badly damaged the school building. Prompt steps were taken to attract the attention of the concerned authorities, from the panchayat level to the district level. Spot inspections were carried out, the river dam was repaired, and the broken roads were fixed, but the badly-damaged school building remains neglected to this day. The school building is not safe for students, and a major accident could happen at any time. If the concerned authorities do not take prompt steps, we will have no other option than to withdraw our children from the school.