Chennai: Adi Dravida school students hopeful

Chennai: As many as 550 school students, are yet to come out of the shocking impact of Moulivakkam building collapse, that took place two-and-half years ago.

They are now hoping against hope with the top brass of the state government recently inspecting the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary school, that suffered damage when the 11-storied-building crashed in June 2014, killing 61 people.

The assurance of senior officials from Adi Dravidar and the tribal welfare department to renovate the premises within a month has brought back the joy, along with many nostalgic memories of these students, who are shifted to Adi Dravida Welfare primary school at Jothi Nagar, one-and-half kilometres away.

But, the ground reality speaks otherwise. Five days after Alandur MLA, T.M. Anbarasan and officials from the tribal welfare department inspected the school, Deccan Chronicle found out that the proposal of renovation remains not consented and that the work is yet to begin.

Even though heaps of sand at the abandoned school indicates the commencement of work, no workers were present at an active hour like 3.30pm on Tuesday. A walk through the rusted gates would make one witness, a pile of broken benches, collapsed trees due to Vardah and a weak roof that was recently cemented.

A mechanic here said, "Labourers had worked on that particular day when officials inspected. I have not seen anyone after that." Among the 720 students belonging to the higher secondary school, as many as 550 of them were shifted to the school in Jothi Nagar - which was meant to accommodate a mere 150 students, while the rest of them moved to other government schools in the same locality.

As the tall Pungai Tree in Jothi Nagar school, which was the only respite from rain and shine had collapsed, during Cyclone Vardah, students are forced to use the verandahs. "We are leading a compromising school life - as not just classes, toilet breaks are provided on a shift basis. Teachers conduct classes on windows that act as makeshift black boards," said class 11 A. Dinesh.

"We had a lab and enough ground space to play. We have to walk for more than half-a-kilometre to this school from Kirugambakkam bus stop. I cannot wait to go back to my school, which was a stone throw away from the bus stop," said another student, M. Bhuvaneswari.

It is the deprivation of extra curricular activities that is distressing us, said class 11 students R. Mukesh and G. Ajit Kumar. A senior teacher from the school told DC that the department has constructed two blocks to facilitate some children.

"Earlier, students were attending classes in two shifts - morning and afternoon. Even though we have regularised the classes a year ago, the absence of proper infrastructure is a setback," the teacher said.

"The proposal requires consent from higher officials. Funds have not been allocated yet," a reliable source from Adi Dravidar and Tribal welfare department told DC.