No country for children: Construction materials takeover Faridpur school grounds; halt sports activities
Teachers reported that loud noise from the machinery mixing gravel and sand, along with the dust, has made life unbearable for both the teachers and students, as well as the nearby residents for past 2 months
Road construction materials have occupied the grounds of the Kumarkanda Government Primary School in Saltha Upazila of Faridpur, halting the sports and recreational activities of students for the last two months.
The road repair, spanning an 11.8-kilometre stretch from Chandibardi to Kalinagar Bazaar, is being carried out by Ishtiaq Arif, general secretary of Faridpur District Awami League, and his brother Asif Imtiaz.
On Sunday (13 October), a visit to the site revealed that the entire school field was covered with a large amount of gravel and sand.
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Heavy machinery has also been stationed near the school building.
The teachers reported that the loud noise from the machinery mixing gravel and sand, along with the dust, has made life unbearable for both the teachers and students, as well as the nearby residents.
Moreover, equipment used for melting bitumen and mixing gravel and sand has also been set up on the grounds.
If bitumen is melted there, the school area will be filled with black smoke, making it difficult for students to attend their classes, said the teachers.
Mizanur Rahman, the headteacher of the school, said, "For the past two months, our school ground has been occupied by the contractor's materials. They've even stored items on the school verandah on occasion. As a result, our students can no longer play or move freely, and some of the younger students have stopped coming to class altogether."
When asked if the school had granted permission for the materials to be stored, Rahman said, "We did not give any such permission. We have heard that some local influential individuals have allowed the contractor to use the grounds in exchange for personal benefits. Despite repeated requests, they haven't vacated the grounds."
The school administration is now appealing to local authorities to intervene and ensure the removal of the road construction materials, he added.
Attempts to contact the contractor, Faridpur District Awami League General Secretary Ishtiaq Arif, were unsuccessful.
However, the contractor's manager, Siddiqur Rahman, claimed that the grounds do not solely belong to the school and that part of the grounds belongs to locals, with whom an agreement was reached for storage.
Upazila Sub-Engineer Koyum Hossain, overseeing the road repair project, said, "It is up to the contractor where to store materials."
Saltha Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Anisur Rahman Bali said, "I was unaware of the occupation of the school grounds but will look into the matter and arrange for the removal of the materials."
