The Indira Gandhi International Academy (IGIA) for Sri Lankan refugees at Yelahanka is in dire straits. The free residential school which has been groping in the dark without electricity for the last eight years, is now struggling without cooking gas to make the breakfast and dinner for the 230 refugee children from the war torn island. Funds are running scarce and the academy is barely managing to stay afloat.
Breakfast and dinner for these young refugees has been cooked over firewood in the last four months. Only their lunch is provided by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness under its Akshaya Patra scheme. The reason? As the Academy is registered under Bright Society, an NGO registered in Tamil Nadu and not Karnataka, the gas company which has been providing cooking gas at residential rates is insisting they buy cooking gas at commercial rates according to English teacher at the Academy, Yesudas. “Even the firewood costs about Rs 500 a day which works out to be more expensive than the cooking gas we were buying, but we cannot afford commercial cooking gas.” he added. The school’s woes does not end there. They have had to go without power since 1999. The academy had run bills up to Rs 65,000. Owing to a crunch in funds, they could not make the payment on time which resulted in their bills skyrocketing with late fees. Their dues were at Rs 9.9 lakh by 2002.
The students make do by studying during day time or when there is extra money available for the diesel, the generator is switched on occasionally.
Vovunya who was brought to India when she was five months old, during the height of the ethnic conflict is an engineering aspirant is preparing for her II PU exams. But she can only hit the books during day time, between classes, washing clothes, dishes and doing chores at the academy due to the lack of power. Her parents live in the refugee camp in Thambambatti, while she attends school in Yelahanka.
The academy is in a crunch of funds, the school is waiting to be eligible for the 35 A and B certification which will enable the academy to receive funds from overseas. “There are many Sri Lankans abroad who are willing to make donations, but we have to wait as we have got another six months to apply according to the rules.” explained, Mohan.
