Six students defy abandoned village isolation to attend classes

Nalgonda: In an atmosphere marked by an eerie, almost palpable silence, only six students continue to attend classes at the Government Primary School in Narsireddygudem, despite the village being largely evacuated. The area, now designated as a submerge zone for the Shivannagudem reservoir under the Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme, has seen 250 families abandon their homes after receiving compensation under a Relief and Rehabilitation Package.

With the village nearly deserted, the school remains the lone beacon of activity from 9 am to 4 pm each day. Among the six students — comprising two from Class I and four from Class V — a dedicated teacher, K. Praveen, ensures that classes go on, even as the village’s ghostly silence looms large. “Only the students come to school, and we manage with water provided in cans and a mid-day meal,” said Praveen, noting that regular supplies of drinking water and electricity have been discontinued.

Narsireddygudem, one of the four villages now submerged by the reservoir, is located 55 km from the district headquarters in Nalgonda and 74 km from Hyderabad. The majority of displaced families have relocated to rented houses in Ratnagiri Colony, yet district authorities have not addressed the urgent need to relocate the school. Consequently, the remaining 24 students have already shifted to private institutions in nearby Marriguda.

Parents, now residents of Ratnagiri Colony, ensure that their children travel approximately one and a half km daily — crossing an earth dam and reservoir — to attend classes. Villager P. Chandraiah lamented, “The officials evacuated our families without considering the school. The education department must shift the school to Ratnagiri Colony by the next academic year.”