Warangal: Where there is a will, there is a way. When forest department rules came in the way of building a new school in the place of the old and dilapidated one, panchayat raj minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka came up with an out-of-the-box idea – a container school. Thanks to her initiative, for the first time in the state, a container school is going to be inaugurated in the remote agency village of Bangarupally village in the Kanthanapally forest region of Mulugu district on the occasion of Praja Palana Divas on September 17. The minister had come up with the idea as the school in this village was in a dilapidated condition and the forest officials were not giving permission to construct a new school building in the forest area.
The district collector Diwakar set up this school within 10 days by allotting Rs 13.5 lakh from the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT). The width and length of the container school is 25 meters. It has around 12 dual desk tables, three chairs for the teachers and other basic structures required for the school. The school is going to be inaugurated on the occasion of Praja Palana Divas on Tuesday through the hands of minister Seethakka.
Two months ago, minister Seethakka also inaugurated a container hospital to provide emergency medical services to the people living in the remote agency village of Pocharam, which is part of Bandhala gram panchayat of Thadvai mandal in the district. The container hospital has four beds and separate rooms for the nurses and health officials. It was designed in Hyderabad at a cost of Rs 7 lakh.
Meanwhile, in a media statement, Seethakka urged the central government to simplify forest regulations for the development of the local tribal people. There is a need to amend the Forest Acts to provide minimum basic facilities to the people living in agency areas. The forest rules are hindering the construction of government buildings, laying of roads and pipelines to provide drinking water, supplying power and installation of electricity poles in remote areas.
“The central government has been simplifying the rules for mining activities in forest areas but refusing to relax the rules for developmental activities for the betterment of the tribal people living in agency areas. At least to provide education and medical services to people in the agency areas, the central government should bring certain changes in the forest acts,” she requested.
