Books being loaded on an autorickshaw after being purchased from a government sales counter in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, April 7: Bringing respite to thousands of parents being who were having a tough time at the text book sale counters, the school and mass education (SME) department today issued fresh orders for the distribution of books.

According to the new instruction, parents no longer have to make beelines in front of the sales counters. The number of books required by each school is to be communicated through a requisition application to the district inspector of schools, said block research centre coordinator Bidhyadhar Swain.

“The requirement will be verified, following which the school authorities can collect the books,” he added.

The decision in this regard was taken in a high level meeting following complaints of “mismanagement and harassment” of parents at the sale counters across the state.

Unlike yesteryears, when the books could be purchased from any book shop, this year the SME had come up with new orders. Books were to be purchased through authorised book counters alone. This was done to check the menace of black marketing of textbooks. As many as 48 sale counters were set up across the state for the purpose. Parents were to reach the counter with a letter from the head of the school confirming that the particular student was the student of that school and was eligible to get the books.

The sale of books began on April 2. However parents who braved the scorching heat to arrive at the counter had to wait for hours.

“The crowd was about three times than expected. While we expected about 300 parents, over 1,500 turned up everyday,” said Kishore Nayak, a staff managing one of the counters.

While the number of staff pressed for the duty was insufficient, with no proper arrangements for water and waiting in place, the parents got restless. To add to the woes, many, who did not turn up with the application from school authorities were denied the books.

“I had taken a leave from the office and waited in the hot sun for about two hours only to be told that I would not be given the books. There was no mention anywhere that we needed a letter from the school,” said Bikash Mishra, a parent.

The new notification was today pasted at various sale counters and parents who went to buy books were told about the new rules.

“The new order appears to have gone down well with both patents and the school authorities. Of the 67 private schools in Bhubaneswar, seven schools collected their books today,” said Swain.