Despite HC order, school for blind remains in bad shape

HYDERABAD: The Government Boys School for the Blind at Darul Shifa is still in a bad shape, nearly six weeks after the Telangana High Court, on April 12, directed the state government to provide required facilities in the hostels within four weeks. The government was asked to submit a compliance report by June 6, but still a lot of works remain to be completed.

The court direction came on a taken-up petition based on a Deccan Chronicle report which highlighted among other problems that visually impaired children had to walk 200 to 300 metres to go to the toilet which did not have even have a door. The ventilation in classrooms and hostels was not adequate, and Braille sheets were not provided. There was no doctor and no facility to take the children to hospital in an emergency. The cots were rusted and the bed sheets torn and dirty.

The High Court had appointed senior advocate L. Ravichander to visit the school and file a report. Ravichander highlighted the dilapidated and unhygienic conditions that prevailed at the school.

This reporter found on Friday that galvanised iron sheets had been put up on the top floor of the hostel/classroom block and at one of the washroom blocks. A hostel building is being constructed since 2019. As of Friday, only outer layer painting, electrification and wiring had been done. The construction restarted a week ago, sources said. There is a pending bill of nearly Rs 27 lakh for the new hostel.

Despite several complaints, the GHMC has not cleared the debris. Sources said, "The government has asked the workers to complete the work by June 12 and make the school ready by the time of its reopening. However, the tender of approximately Rs 35 lakh was issued to the contractor only in the last week of May. Officers of education and department of disabled promised funds, but they were not released.”

The sources said the priority was to just paint the classrooms and the toilet block.

Much work was needed to construct compound walls, a cafeteria, a pathway for students from one block to another and more, sources said, adding that the process of issuing funds was lengthy. “The tender issued to construct the hostel block in 2019 was around `2 crore. That money will not be enough as the price for all the materials have gone up,” said sources.

Sources added, “It would easily take at least two months to finish all the construction. None of the officials is bothered about the facilities being provided to students. The staff do not maintain the place well. A lot of debris has to be cleared by the workers. Also the residents of the buildings beside the school are very careless. They throw liquor bottles on the school premises.”

At the Government High School for girls, located at Malakpet, the High Court had ordered better facilities for the students including cosmetics, mosquito nets, proper ventilation in classrooms, sanitary napkins and more. Sources mentioned that nearly Rs 25 lakh was yet to be paid to the contractor. The school management said all the facilities were provided. Sources added that no tender or notice was given to the contractor for revamp the school.