Komira villagers protest over dilapidated school building

Visakhapatnam: Students and their parents of Komira village in Anakapalle district staged a protest at the village panchayat office on Monday, demanding a new building for their primary school, which is in a dilapidated condition. According to the parents, the school has 68 students from Classes I to V, belonging mainly to SC, ST and BC communities.

“The school has two buildings, but one of them has become dilapidated and unsafe. The roof leaks during rains, and chunks of concrete are falling from the slab. Engineering officials have declared the structure unsafe for use. The remaining building is insufficient to accommodate all 68 students. As a result, classes I and II are being conducted in a nearby temple. There is government land available in the village, and we request that a temporary shed be constructed there so that classes can be conducted safely. We have repeatedly brought the issue to the notice of officials, who informed us that proposals for a permanent school building had been submitted, but no funds have been sanctioned so far,” they said.

“We urge the authorities to ensure that students have a safe place to continue their education without delay while awaiting approval and funding for a permanent school building,” the protesters said.

With the monsoon season approaching, parents expressed concern that their children’s education would be adversely affected. They appealed to the district collector and education minister Nara Lokesh to sanction funds for a new school building and, in the meantime, allocate CSR funds for the construction of a temporary shed. Tribal association leader Polam Raju and B Sattibabu participated in the protest.