Rain batters Araria, flood scare looms in district

ARARIA: With heavy and incessant rain battering Araria for the last few days, a flood-like situation has emerged in most parts of the district with roads and electricity cut-off in most places. Several areas are under knee-deep water making life miserable for the residents of the district.
The situation has only exposed the unpreparedness of civic bodies both in Araria and Forbesganj town.
Areas like Patel Chowk, Sadar Road, bus stand area, Gudiyadi road, Chhuwapatti and Post Office Chowk of Forbesganj town and ADB Chowk, Chandini Chowk, Zero Mile area, Mahadev Chowk and most of the vicinities in ward number 15 and 16 in Araria are worst hit. Even the collectorate campus was waterlogged on Tuesday, creating hurdles for the office goers.
The rainy season has also created problem for thousands of minor schoolgoing children. About 200 primary schools in the district do not have their own school buildings and about 243 primary schools do not have even their own land.
Araria district education officer Ashok Mishra told this newspaper that most of the schools have been attached to nearby schools which have their own infrastructure. “Some schools, which have not been attached to buildings of other schools, are running from private houses. Proper steps are being taken to resolve the issue,” he said.
Altogether there are 1,954 primary schools in the district, out of which 1,018 are newly-created. Many of the primary schools run beneath a tree or at the doorstep of some villagers residing nearby. Children of these roofless and landless schools have been badly hit.
According to official sources, no amount has been sanctioned for construction of school buildings in the last eight years.
“The rainy season is a curse for our wards,” said Md. Abul Hasan, a guardian of Hadia bada village. He added his two sons are compelled to remain at home at least for the next two months. Similarly, Dhirendra Gupta of a village in Sikti block is not sending his son and daughter to school. "Ye sthayee samsaya hai aur iska koi nidan nahin hai (It is a perennial problem and it has no solution),” he said.
Blocks like Narpatganj, Kursakanta, Sikty, Bhargama, Palasi, Jokihat and Raniganj of the district are also inundated and children are not attending schools.
“Even teachers are also not coming” said Ramkishor Mandal of Hansa under Raniganj block.
Meanwhile, workers engaged in paddy plantations are taking up work on contract basis.