the goan I network
VASCO
A portion of the roof at the Mormugao Municipal High School (MMHS) has begun to leak, putting students and teachers to hardship during school hours.
According to a source from the school, MMHS is the only school in Goa which is managed and maintained by the municipal council and for the last several years, the heritage building is not repaired, due to which the roof is leaking.
“Just before the monsoon could start, the headmistress had met the chief officer and the chairperson of Mormugao Municipal Council to apprise them about the repair of the roof so that classes are not hampered,” said the source.
“The council gave the assurance, but instead of carrying out the repairs before the start of the academic year, they only covered a portion of the school building with tarpaulin and left the other area incomplete, due to which the students and teachers have to face problem,” added
the source.
The source said before the assembly election, the council had informed the staff that the building would be repaired and renovated before the new academic year, but nothing has been done.
“The roof of the entire building, which is constructed of wood, is leaking and there is fear that if it is not repaired at the earliest, it might come crashing down not only on school children and the teachers, but also on the staff working in the council,” informed the source.
Civic body chief plays down issue
VASCO: Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Deepak Naik has said a shortage of workers had allowed the council to cover only one half of the building with tarpaulin, while the other half could not be covered due to pre-monsoon showers, which were followed by monsoon rains.
He admitted that the headmistress had brought the roof repair issue to his notice and he had assured to cover it with tarpaulin as a temporary measure.
“I tried to pay extra for the labourers to cover the entire roof of the school building, but the labourers declined saying the tiles are wet and slippery and there could be danger to their life, as the roof has a stiff slope,” said Naik.
“As soon we get a dry spell, atleast of two days, I will employ labourers and cover the remaining portion of the roof to avoid further problem to the students and the teaching staff,” assured Naik.
When brought to his notice about the weak roof, Naik assured that the council would carry out the repairs and renovate the building on war footing to avoid problems in future.
