Kolkata, Sept. 14 -- The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to file an affidavit on the lack of an access road to two schools in South 24-Parganas, after taking note of students having to cross marshy land to reach a school building for midday meals.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty issued the direction while hearing a PIL seeking a road connection between Baneswarpur RDBPM School and the nearest main road.
The court noted that the school is surrounded by marshy land and people have to wade through it to reach the institution. It expressed concern over ensuring a healthy environment for the schools and securing the future of their students.
Students of Baneswarpur RDBPM School and ROSA Dogachha FP School have to reach the new Baneswarpur building for midday meals. The Bench recorded that they face "great difficulty" as there is no access road.
The state told the court it would file an affidavit within two weeks giving a clear picture of the situation. The Bench directed that the affidavit-in-opposition be filed by September 24 and listed the matter for September 28 under the Urgent Admission category.
The petitioner has also been directed to prepare a sketch map showing the concretised portion of the road, the two schools and their distances from it. The court allowed the District Panchayat and Rural Development Officer, South 24 Parganas, to be added as a respondent.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.