IMPHAL, May 28: Students and teachers of Kakhulong Junior High School near Usha Cinema Hall, Paona Bazar today found their classrooms dismantled by the workers of a contractor for construction of a community hall there under PDA without notice to the school authority or the Education department.
Following the incident, the state Education Minister M Okendra has asked the police to take up action against the contractors and persons involved in the incident.
Kakhulong Junior High School is located on the northern side of Usha Cinema at Paona Bazar here.
Today as usual, students and teachers including the Head Master turned up at the school only to find it dismantled by workers by forcing open the locks of the classrooms.
Visibly upset, the teachers and students protested the action which fell on deaf ears. All the classrooms at the rear portion of the school building were completely dismantled by some workers.
Sources said, the classrooms were dismantled for construction of a community hall within the campus of the school under the instruction of a contractor without giving any intimation to either the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) or the Deputy Inspector of Schools (DI).
According to school authorities the work of pulling down the school building had begun yesterday taking advantage of being Sunday yesterday.
The Headmistress-in-charge of the school A Ramani Devi said, the concerned contractor did not serve prior notice to the school authority or the higher authority for the construction of the proposed community hall.
However, the workers said they were given Rs 4,500 for the work by the contractor named S Ibohanbi, a resident of Keishamthong here. They said the work was started yesterday while admitting that they did not know anything about permission or work order.
When IFP contacted the contractor he said, the estimated cost of the work for building the three storey community hall is over Rs 60 lakhs.
Asked whether the proposed building will provide classrooms for the school, he said that it is for the concerned MLA and minister to decide after completion of the construction work.
Meanwhile, ZEO Gopimohan and DI Sonamani personally inspected the school today after receiving information concerning the pulling down of classrooms this afternoon. The two officials intervened and asked the workers to immediately stop the work.
Teachers of the school regretted that they are now facing an awkward situation as the latrine had also been destroyed by the workers.
The school has been functioning without a regular headmaster for a long time. As there is no chowkidar his duties are performed by the teachers.
