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| Poonch girls’ school runs in Shesh Mahal Fort | | >> Damaged in 2005 earthquake, the fort building housing girls’ school is not safe place for students | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
RAJOURI, June 16: It may sound bizarre, but it is true. At a time when the state government takes pride for upgrading schools across the state, a higher secondary school at the district headquarters Poonch is being run from a historical monument.
The Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Poonch, runs from a historical monument “Shesh Mahal. Established in the 1980, the school has got its name from the famous fort of Shesh Mahal.
The school was once the palace of Dogra kings who ruled the state till India secured Independence from the British in August 1947. Later, former Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah handed over the fort to the school on April 20, 1980.
After the 2005 earthquake, the school’s building was badly damaged. Since then it has been a major cause of worry for students who feel that the school’s building can tumble down anytime.
“It hardly makes a difference that we are studying in a fort, but the fact that the building is badly damaged and can crash down anytime has been a cause of worry for us,” said a student, adding, “It is quite risky here.”
“We heard that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had promised starting the reconstruction of our school, but nothing in this regard had been done so far,” she added.
A senior officer in the district administration admitted that the Shesh Mahal building was quite risky for students and needed repairs.
When contacted, the Principal of the School, Yugvir Singh admitted that the building is not safe for the school. He, however, added that there is also no alternative to run the school.
He said that he has reported the matter to higher authorities but they have still not received any communication to shift it to the safer places.
Yugvir Singh said that former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi had visited the school in his tenure and had assured alternate building but no building has been given to them and they are continued to run school from the same risky building.
This school has 34 rooms in which maximum have been damaged and engineers have declared it as an unsafe building.
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