Bhubaneswar: In a dramatic protest against a senior government official's inaction, guardians of students in Odisha's Dhenkanal district compelled him to wade through floodwaters on a school premises on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in Altuma village, under the Kamakhyanagar Notified Area Council (NAC).
Frustrated by ongoing flooding issues at Dadhibaman Upper Primary School, where classrooms were submerged in drain water, students and their guardians locked the school gates. They then forced Block Education Officer (BEO) Saroj Kumar Swain to walk through the waterlogged premises, demanding a permanent solution.
Guardians were outraged that students had to wade through knee-deep water to reach their classrooms, a situation that persisted despite multiple appeals to the authorities.
“Stormwater frequently enters the classrooms and kitchen, causing utensils to float in the drain water. These unhygienic conditions have led to serious health issues, yet the authorities ignored our repeated appeals,” the guardians stated.
According to local allegations, residents had repeatedly contacted the district administration, urging them to address the waterlogging issue before the monsoon season. However, no action was taken.
Following the protest, when news of the incident reached the district administration, the local Sub-Collector assured that arrangements would be made to drain the wastewater from the school premises and resolve the issue permanently.
