Rourkela: Forced to suspend classes for more than 10 months following a land dispute with a local resident, a govt primary school in Sundargarh district started operations on Monday after the district administration conducted a land demarcation exercise and found the plot of land on which the school stands belongs to the govt.
Bahamba Primary School in Tensa panchayat under Koida block, located 100 km from Rourkela, was forced to close down in Jan when Haliani Topno (64), a widow, locked the school gate claiming ownership of the land. The school, established in 1964, has 36 students from classes I to V.
On Nov 2, TOI had highlighted the plight of students who had to travel 1.5 km to the Tansa Basti School to continue their studies.
“I am very happy that the school has finally opened after 10 months,” said Kalpana Das, headmistress of Bahamba Primary School. Seven students attended classes on the first day of reopening.
Despite multiple interventions from local authorities, including the block education officer (BEO), tehsildar and police, Topno remained adamant about her claim.
The issue was finally resolved when the district administration conducted a land demarcation exercise on Nov 6. “After demarcation, it was confirmed that the land belongs to the govt,” said Anil Kumar Acharya, tehsildar, Koida. The exercise was carried out in the presence of the revenue inspector, police personnel and Topno’s family.
Acharya has directed the BEO to apply for a land patta (record of rights) in the school’s name to prevent future disputes. “After necessary processing, the patta will be issued in the school’s name,” he added.
The school authorities are now focusing on bringing back all the students and resuming normal academic activities.