Balasore: A government primary school located in the middle of farmland in Dhili village under Bauripada panchayat of Simulia block in Balasore district lacks road access, forcing students and teachers to wade through a nullah or cross a narrow, rickety bamboo bridge daily.
The school, situated just 5 km from the Simulia block office, remains unreachable by road despite repeated pleas from residents. The continued neglect has sparked growing frustration in the area, home mostly to Scheduled Caste families.
Established in 2019, the school was built on 11 decimals of land donated by the children of Naba Kishore Mallik and is named in his honour. However, the school lies in the middle of a paddy wetland, surrounded by mud and water.
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Currently, the school serves 19 students from Sishu Vatika (kindergarten) to Class V — 12 girls and seven boys — under the care of headmistress Nirmala Debanath and assistant teacher Guruprasad Singh.
“There is no road to the school. We fold our pants and walk through knee-deep slush,” said Singh. “We have no choice.” Students also rely on a fragile bamboo bridge to cross the nullah, which becomes even more dangerous during the monsoon season. Two Class IV students, Kahnu Charan Malik and Sai Sritam Malik, said they fear falling off the slippery structure.
“It is disheartening that the government talks about prioritising welfare measures for the Scheduled Caste community, yet children here don’t even have a road to their school,” said local resident Dayanidhi Mallik. Women in the village, including Kaushalya Malik, said conditions become unbearable during rains.
After crossing the risky bridge, children must still walk through submerged paddy fields to reach the school, raising fears of snakebites. The headmistress added that trenches surround the area, making access even more difficult. “We deposited money for electricity two years ago, but the school is still not connected to the power grid,” Debanath said.
Local sarpanch Dharanidhar Nayak said construction of an access road has been planned after the monsoon ends and the paddy is harvested. However, villagers remain uncertain about when the work will actually begin.
PNN
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