-- Samir Umarye BICHOLIM: About 30- odd students of government primary school at Pratapnagar Harvalem in Sanquelim are taking lessons under the threat to their lives with 11 kv live electricity wire running over the roof of the school.
It may be stated that the government primary school situated at Pratapnagar is just like any other school in the state just with one exception that a live 11 kv electricity wire is running over the roof top posing danger to the students studying in the building. The panchayat, PTA and the locals have given several petitions to the Electricity Department but still the wires have not been shifted. “ This is a very dangerous situation and the wires are also very old so this needs to be immediately shifted,” said Panch member Guruprasad Naik. There have been several instances when this line was cut and has also fallen down but luckily there was no loss of property or life. “ There have been cases when this old wire snapped and came down and we are lucky that no one was hurt during such incidents. We cannot even take the repairs of the building and the roof as the wire is so close that no one is ready to climb the roof top,” Naik added. The residents still remember an instance when a mason was hit by the current of the wire and was thrown some feet away when he had gone to repair the roof before the monsoon season. Even though the village comes under the ambit of Sanquelim, the Sattari electricity division is looking after the affairs of this area. The panch members say that they had approached the electricity department but there was no action taken by the department. “ The department is trying to put the buck on us and in turn telling us to provide them with an alternate place for the wires. We do not have any place to give, it is the responsibility of the department to look into the matter and shift the line,” Naik explains. “ The houses have been provided under 20- point programme and the line is passing over several houses. There is danger to the students and also people who are staying in the houses over whom this line goes, so we request the government to divert this line from some other area,” Naik said. The PTA and other residents have also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister in this regard when the CM was on a visit to Sanquelim. “ There are about 10- 12 houses under this wire and the department should take an initiative to shift the wires at the earliest,” a resident, Rafik Mulla, said. It may learnt that the Electricity Department, through a letter, had asked Harvalem panchayat to provide them with alternate path for shifting the said line with sufficient line clearance. They had also asked for the names of the owners of the house who had constructed houses under the wire so as to take proper action, sources said. samir umarye HaRValEm The government primary school at Harvalem poses danger to the students.