Daltonganj: Students of Classes 1-5 at Govt Middle School, Parwa, in Palamu district, have returned to their partly demolished campus after snakes were spotted twice at a temporary facility in the panchayat bhavan.The school has 190 students, including 70 in Classes 1-5 and 120 in Classes 6-8. It was not confirmed whether the snakes were venomous. The temporary arrangement was made allegedly after NHAI demolished a large part of the school for construction of the four-lane junction of NH 39 and NH 139, following due process and payment of Rs 1.5 crore to the school management committee.Headmistress Anjali Senger said on Sunday, “After NHAI demolished parts of our school building, we had to shift around 70 students of Classes 1 to 5 to the nearby panchayat bhavan.” Classes 6-8 continued in the old school’s intact hall.“We held classes for students of Classes 1 to 5 in the panchayat bhavan for about 15 or 16 weeks before snakes were spotted there,” Anjali added. “The snakes frightened everyone. Parents also wanted their children shifted back to the old school, where a big hall and verandah were still intact. So we returned to the old hall and verandah a few days ago,” the headmistress said.“Now we teach Classes 1 to 5 in the verandah and Classes 6 to 8 in the hall. Here, we don’t have any fear of snakes,” she said.District education officer Sandeep Kumar said, “NHAI deposited Rs 1.5 crore with the SMC just four months ago. A tender notice will be floated for a new building. It may take some time.”He said teaching had remained uninterrupted, though space was scarce.At Saturday’s DISHA meeting, finance minister Radha Krishna Kishore and MP Vishnu Dayal Ram expressed displeasure and sought faster construction work.
