Sambalpur: Electricity were cut off from schools in Talbhatapada and Kamlibazar, 300 children will starve!

• Mid Day Meal can’t be Prepared’
• Cooking in tap water – DEO
• Connection will be made soon – TPWODL

Sambalpur: School electricity connection provided hastily cut off without giving any prior notice. As a result, Mid Day Meal cannot be served from tomorrow. Without electricity, water cannot flow from the pump. A bucket of water will come out of the well. So 150 children will be starve tomorrow. This was said by the president of the school management committee, Kalpana Bagh, after the electricity connection was cut off from the primary school of Talbhatapada in Sambalpur city today. So not only this one school but also the same condition in Kamlibazar. Kamilbazar Higher Primary School will be closed due to power cut. The school management committee said that cooking cannot be done because there is no access to water. About 300 students are studying in Kalmibazar and Talbhatapada schools within the city under Dhankauda Block. Water is drawn from an electrically operated deep tubewell as the tubewell is defunct. Now, after the power cut, it is not possible to cook. The children will not even get water to drink. There will be no toilet and other facility. Even though mid-day meal is compulsory for the children, the school authorities are not worried about how it will be cooked. Otherwise there will be decided by the management committee that to stop the lunch until power restore.

300 students will be left starve due to the urgent decision of the electricity department.Therefore, there is a demand to connect electricity immediately tomorrow.

Talbhatapada school has a bill of 8 thousand rupees for the last 16/17 months. While the bill was paid upto April 2021, the bill was not paid due to lack of money. Therefore, the SDO of TPWODL said that the electricity department has cut off the connection. But after this incident came to my attention, I ordered to restore the electricity immediately. Meanwhile, District Education Officer Minirani Mangal said, there is news of power cut. It will take some time to pay the bill. At that time, water will be taken out from the tubewell in the school premises and washed. A kitchen assistant will help the children wash the dishes. “We are trying to provide electricity connection as soon as possible,” said the DEO.