Students crossing a river to reach schools in aluminium kitchen vessels at Kuruati in Biswanath district of Assam had shocked people of Assam that led to a nationwide furore. But that’s not a one-off incident since another group of students are also risking their lives at Dalgaon in Assam’s Darrang district, crossing a river in small rafts made from bamboo stems.
Students of Kachomari Primary School have no other option but to cross a small river in rafts made out of bamboo stems to reach school and return using the same route and in these rafts. Some children also swim to the other side while a few who are too young are carried by their parents on their shoulders as the cross the river.
The school also remains inundated during the rainy season as the locality is prone to flooding.
Narrating the ordeal of the students, Sarwan Kumar Jha, a social worker from the region said, “There is about 1 to 1.5 feet of rain-water accumulated in the school itself. To come to school, students have to cross a 40-45 feet wide river as there is no bridge here. Students either swim across the river or are carried on shoulder by their parents. Some students also use the parts of the Banana tree to create a makeshift boat structure to cross the river for coming to school.”
Jha further claimed that the situation is such from past four months. The principal has already informed the district administration about the issue but no action has been taken in this regard.
“Parents of the students are now worried. The depth of water is currently less in the river but it might increase much more during the rain. We demand that considering the future of these students, the Government must immediately ensure construction of the footbridge in the river”, Jha added. (With inputs from ANI)
