SHANGLA: Residents of Damorai and political leaders blocked Ajmeer-Karora road and staged protest demanding reconstruction of government high school’s building which was washed away in 2010 flash floods.
A large number of people including students of the GHS Damorai on Tuesday blocked the road for about 5 hours and for all sorts of traffic at Damorai bridge and gathered there for agitation.
Earlier staging protest, students and local people walked in Damorai bazaar while carrying banners, placards inscribed with their demand of school.
While addressing protesters, the speakers said, all schools washed away in 2010 flash floods had been rebuilt but High School Damorai is an unfortunate school which is awaiting reconstruction and its over 600 students are getting an education in stainless steel panel’s shelters.
“Damorai is a snowbound area and during winter season students study in the shelters but due to severe cold, they faced difficulties. There are just a few shelters where an adjustment of 600 students is also deplorable. Teaching to 600 students in the shelters is very difficult for the teachers,” Zain-ul-Abidin, a local elder, said.
He said that section-4 of land acquisition has been imposed on land for the school building but the government failed to pay payment to the landowner.
Doctor Afsarul-Mulk, president Pakistan People Party Malakand division, said, despite holding several meetings with the elected people and officials of the education department, the school building yet to be rebuilt.
“We need education for our children but unfortunately the existing government is not interested in providing education to backward areas children and using tactics to delay reconstruction of our school,” the PPP leader claimed.
Advocate Server Iqbal, said, minister for information Shaukat Yousafzai had promised them a year ago that work on the school to be started in a month but he failed to fulfill his promise yet.
He said the non-availability of the school building is a reason destroying the area’s students’ future while delaying the reconstruction of school building.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Alpuri, Fida-ul-Karim, district education officer Muhammad Ameen, Sub-divisional education officer for planning and development Aurang zeeb Khan held negotiations with the protesters and assured them that the issue would be discussed with the high ups of education department, however minister information Shaukat Yousafzai spoke the protesters via phone call and requested the protesters to give him period of a month to release funds from the annual development program then work on it would be started.
