Established in 1972, Government Girls High School Tarzoo which is in close proximity to the forested area in Sopore’s Ningli is risking the lives of students as the school lacks a boundary wall.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) residents said there is always apprehension of wild animals harming students as they can be seen roaming around.
“Our children are studying in a two- storied building which lacks fencing. Authorities hardly bother about the safety of children. They must act before any man-animal conflict occurs in the area,” said Aijaz Ahmed Dar, a senior citizen.
He alleged that the land which is within the possession of the school is being illegally occupied by some miscreants. The Revenue department demarcated the land in the 2020, but failed to retrieve it from encroachers.
The school has around 150 students enrolled for the current academic year, a teacher said, adding that fencing is needed for an hour as wild animals cannot harm them if they face the boundary wall.
“I’m not aware about these things as I have been posted here a few days ago,” says the Headmaster of the school. “I have been told that representations have been forwarded to higher ups for fencing purposes.”
The residents as well as school authorities appealed to higher ups to take appropriate action and fence the school in order to avoid any untoward incident.
Chief Educational Officer (CEO) Baramulla, Balbir Singh could not be contacted for his comments.
Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sopore, SA Raina told KNO that he will look into the matter, saying “I will visit the school tomorrow”—(KNO)