PERNEM
It is a new state-of-art school building that was hurriedly inaugurated even before the structure was complete and now, the Government Primary School (GPS) at Murmuse-Tuem has begun leaking in some areas even before students could be shifted to the new premises.
An unhappy Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte has questioned the quality of construction work and said he would raise the matter with the government and demand an inquiry.
The new GPS building, which was built by GSIDC, was hurriedly inaugurated on December 25, 2016, but the school has not begun classes in the new premises as the building is yet to be handed over to the Education department.
In the absence of a proper school building, the existing GPS has been functioning from the Tuem Community Health Centre (CHC) since 2000 and nursery classes are conducted in the hospital’s residential complex. There are 35-odd students studying in the school.
When former Mandrem MLA Laxmikant Parsekar was health minister, he had visited the Tuem GPS during an inspection of the Tuem CHC and had assured to shift the primary school to its own complex.
Responding to Parsekar’s request for suitable land for the school project, freedom fighter Madan
Harmalkar had donated land for the school.
At present, the new GPS building is still incomplete as some works are pending but the first flash showers have already led to rainwater seeping from the roof in some places. Workers were seen laying tiles on the roof to prevent further leakage.
The school PTA wants the school to start as soon as possible, so that the GPS can shift from the existing premises at the Tuem CHC.
“The government should hand over the school to the Education department as soon as possible, so that enrollment can increase,” said PTA member Santosh Dhargalkar.
Added another parent, Shyam Harmalkar, “The Harmalkar family had donated land for the state-of-art primary school. This school is still incomplete despite being inaugurated and the contractor is doing the work at snail’s pace.”
When contacted, Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte expressed displeasure as the roof of the newly built school has started leaking during the first showers itself.
“The new school building was inaugurated five months ago, but it is still incomplete. I will take up the matter with the government and demand an inquiry,” he added.
“I had inspected the new GPS building in May along with the parents. The contractor had told me that the remaining work would be completed before May 31 and that the school would be opened to students in the new academic year.”
“Now, the new academic year has already started and the remaining work on the school is still incomplete. The structure has not even been handed over to the Education department.
Stating that the government should not jeopardise the future of students, Sopte added, “The roof of the school is already leaking with the first rains and this exposes the substandard quality of construction work.”
