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| Panic in Srinagar schools as Education Minister fiddles flood alert | | | Abdul Majid
Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 25: As the government declared flood threat on Thursday, panic gripped the city putting thousands of schoolchildren and their parents to inconvenience. However, contradicting the government, the Education Minister, Nayeem Akhter said there was no flood threat.
While the Jhelum was roaring at most places in south and central Kashmir, officially above the danger mark, inundating scores of areas, the Education Minister down played the reports of flood threat. Akhter this morning reportedly claimed that there is "no flood threat as the rain has stopped". "Though, there is a huge problem of inundation," he said.
But as the water levels continued to rise, most of the schools suddenly called off the class work midway and allowed students to move towards their homes. Sources said the Directorate of School Education Kashmir all of a sudden issued the directives as a big number of schools are situated on the river banks, which are more flood prone.
But this sudden decision sparked off chaos. Students were seen terrified in school buses unusually plying much earlier on roads. Thousands of students who do not avail the school transport facility were left wandering helplessly, which added to the chaos among parents as well.
Some tiny tots unaware of the flood threat found it opportune time to move around on the banks of Jhelum which were about to spill. But as the children saw the panicky crowds on the river embankments they got scared and many started crying. Some, as per reports, even fainted.
Wasim Ahmed, a Raj Bagh man said it took him two hours to find the parents of a schoolgirl who fainted on the river banks. Parents on the other hand were equally worried. "The school has suddenly closed and I am unable to trace out my ward. Why did the administration remain silent on the issue," cried parent of a class 3rd student in Lal Chowk area. The aggrieved parents said it was "criminal negligence" on the part of the administration to have let the schools open on the day when flood alert has been sounded. As per Disaster Management experts, it was mandatory for the government to have kept the schools shut. "Whenever Red Alert is declared, all educational Institutions need to be compulsorily closed, as a matter of precaution, for the safety of children," said a disaster management expert.
He said the divisional administration should have considered the issue and "announced the closure of schools/colleges, as a precautionary measure, before children leave their homes." But a senior official in the administration claimed that they had "strict directives" not to announce closure of educational institutions without taking Education Minister Naeem Akhter into confidence. "Infact the reasons to keep the schools open was to show normalcy to the electronic media as otherwise a wrong picture of Kashmir would be shown and that would ultimately affect tourism," said the official pleading anonymity. Despite repeated attempts the Education Minister could not be contacted for comments. |
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