None cares for school children during rainy season

Across India, as the denizens grappled with incessant bouts of rains and the resultant threat of floods engulfing their daily lives, one vital section of the population- school kids- remained uncared for, by and large. Of course, getting affected by surging rain water levels seeping into their homes was not their problem alone as the adults did whatever they could to keep disaster at bay, with mixed results. Even then, the depression that resulted in a non-stop downpour in both AP and Telangana for the best part of the week that went by, has unarguably added to the stress of young parents whose school-going children were seriously affected.

In Hyderabad, as the powers-that-be grimly assessed the flood situation and began making appeals for central assistance, (notwithstanding the presence of NDRF troops to assist them in their rehabilitation efforts), the hassled school children, seem to have been punished for no fault of theirs even during these testing times. Over the last weekend, taking into account the immense difficulties in transportation of school children to schools and back owing to the bad condition of roads, the State government had declared a holiday for two days.

Some schools seem to have defied this government announcement and using the excuse of exam schedules have had their students attending classes, making them endure a torrid time to make it to the schools. It was not surprising then, that the school bus of a suburban school got stranded as the driver drove into the flood waters and had 40 children, whose safety was compromised. After the children raised alarm, locals went to the rescue and had pulled the bus out.

Elsewhere in the country too, from all across neighbouring Karnataka to distant Rajasthan, the indifference of the authorities to the plight of the young citizens seems to have a striking similarity. According to a recent agency news report, the National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Rajasthan government over reports of about 85 children in Karauli district risking their lives to go to school during the rainy season.

The Commission has sought a report within four weeks. It took suo motu cognisance of the media report that about 85 school going children, from Machet, Sevachin Ka Pura and Madho Singh ka Pura villages in Karauli district, risked their lives to go to school during the rainy season from June to September as, the generally dry and bridgeless river Bhainsavat gets enough water making it on an average 15 feet deep.

"They have to use inflated rubber tubes, like many of their elders, to cross the river. The villagers have been demanding construction of a bridge for long but nothing has happened to their memorandums to the officials and politicians," the Commission said in a statement. "Because of the inaction of the state administration, the lives of the innocent people are being exposed to danger. This is an indication towards insensitive approach adopted by the administration," it said. Since the young ones are not a defined vote bank, it seems they are condemned to be beyond the arc of the outreach of public services, one opines.