Post News Network
Nakatideula, March 15: Acting on a complaint filed by a seven-year-old boy of Kudanali village in Sambalpur district regarding difficulties he and other children of the village have been facing in reaching the nearest school, the Orissa Human Rights Commission has issued a show-cause notice to the collector and directed him to submit his reply by March 26.
The boy, Ayush, had earlier sought the Chief Minister and Governor’s intervention over the issue. In his complaint, the boy had alleged that his village is situated in a remote pocket on the Angul-Sambalpur border. Surrounded by forests and hills, the village lacks basic infrastructure.
There is a provision to set up a school within one km radius of every village, but the government has not taken any step to open a school at or near the village. In the absence of a school, children have no way but to traverse 15 km to reach the nearest Saraswati Sishu Mandir situated at Gadamandal in Chhendipada.
Due to lack of better road connectivity in the area, the children of the village have to use routes passing through forests and hills to reach the school. They also have to cross Nahurani nullah which passes through the forest on the way. During monsoon, their difficulties compound as the nullah swells due to heavy rainfall.
Ayush claimed he was not able to go to the school for four months for this reason in 2013. Then, he had sent a letter to the Chief Minister seeking his intervention in the matter and later had also sought the Governor’s intervention.
Offices of both the Chief Minister and Governor had directed the collectors of Angul and Sambalpur and other departments to construct a bridge on the nullah.
However, the administrations of none of the districts have initiated any step for construction of a bridge over the nullah even one and a half year after the directive was issued. Following this, Ayush moved the rights body.
