[ Chukhu Indu ]
ITANAGAR, 20 Jul: Government girls’ residential school in Yupia is facing water shortage apart from couple of other issues. With only a single water tap for 117 boarders, there is an acute shortage of water for drinking, bathing and other basic requirements.
The school’s principal Teli Dimin said that the existing lone water tap was placed in 2018 with voluntary donations from teachers and parents of the students. When the school started way back in September 2011, it had only 1 water tank that supplied water which had high iron content, the principal informed.
She said that the students had to use the water for at least 7 years. She added that due to the high iron content in the water the color of the food cooked with it also changed.
Techi Melung, a class 8 student of the school informed that as water supply is not regular students carry water from the nearby residence.
Another senior student Nabam Yate informed that there are not enough washrooms forcing students to queue up. ‘There is only one washroom for more than 100 students. Teachers also have one washroom,’ she added.
A guardian from Naharlagun shared that they have to bring packaged water for their child.
“Parents from nearby places can send water for children but I wonder what other students, who are from remote places, would do,” she said.
While informing about various lacunas of the school including the condition of a dilapidated kitchen building, limited washrooms and beds, principal Teli Dimin said, “The school has allotted only 100 beds but student enrolment is higher. The rest of the students have to share their bed and modify it into bunk beds despite restriction for such provisions by the school authority.”
The principal informed that a letter was submitted in 2021 to the Deputy Director School Education (DDSE), Yupia seeking to shift the school to its permanent allocated site at NIT Yupia but no response has come so far.
When contacted, Papum Pare DDSE Tagu Tana Tara informed that an intimation letter to the NIT authority was already submitted to vacate the campus however, the NIT requested extension for another 4 to 5 months as a few heavy machines are still there. He further said, “There are a lot of things to be renovated and maintained due to the dilapidated condition of the infrastructure and hence shifting cannot be done in this academic session.”
NIT Jote Director prof. Pinekeshwar Mahanta informed that by 10 Oct, the other heavy machineries will be shifted. He said that the mechanical workshop at NIT Jote is nearing completion and is likely to be ready by September end.
