Danger above the head, for these schoolchildren at Maggalamakki

With power line above the school, students attend classes in fear

Students of the government school at Maggalamakki village are a petrified lot, thanks to an electricity line drawn above the school building.

For the time being, the concerned villagers have used wooden poles resembling power poles to hold the wires aloft and to prevent the wires from coming in contact with the building. The school authorities and children, however, are still worried that the poles may give away, in case of heavy rain or gale. They, therefore, seek immediate attention of the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Mescom) and also the deputy director of the Department of Public Instruction (DDPI), who is the custodian of the school.

The power line was installed to provide connection to houses in the vicinity of the school. A kitchen was constructed recently in the school, under the midday meals scheme, right under the power line. The students continue to risk their lives by merely attending classes everyday, as the line is yet to be shifted.

A student was electrocuted earlier, when he tried to erect a pole in the school compound but the pole came in contact with a live wire. The Zilla Panchayat council had unanimously resolved to get such electricity poles in the vicinity of the school shifted. The order, however, waits to be implemented, on account of procedural hurdles.

Members of the school management committee have expressed dissatisfaction that although they do wish to get the line shifted, they are forced to pay Mescom a hefty fee to get the work done. “The amount will run up to lakhs of rupees, even as the schoolchildren continue to risk their lives,” said the members.

The work on construction of a classroom for the Government PU College near the shanty ground in town has also been launched. Here too, the electricity line is fitted directly above the building.

What assumes significance is that six lives have been already lost due to electrocution in Mudigere taluk alone last year. As many as 35 school buildings are located under electricity lines, which only highlights the gravity of the situation in the same taluk.