Paradip, May 5: The recent earthquake that devastated Nepal and also could be felt in parts of India has put the spotlight on the dilapidated condition of the educational institutions in Jagatsinghpur district.

The bustling Paradip Port township is home to over half-a-dozen such schools where safety of students is thoroughly compromised. The school buildings are either unsafe or running from shabby rented buildings, putting the students' lives at risk.

The Odisha human rights panel had earlier directed the state government to issue immediate instructions to all the district collectors to make a thorough inspection of all schools in the state and do the needful. On the contrary, precious little has been done either to revamp the dilapidated school buildings or demolish the highly perilous structures.

The recent quake should be a wakeup call for authorities concerned. Safety of students should be the priority and unsafe buildings should be razed to the ground at the earliest, said child rights activist Biraja Kumar Pati.

Several school buildings are on the verge of collapse. Possibility of cave-in following the impact of tremor of lesser magnitude cannot be ruled out, said the activist.

Official sources revealed that 476 government-run primary schools were categorised as unsafe. While 373 primary schools come under the endangered category, 103 government-aided and block grants-aided high schools have been declared unsafe.

The works department has certified the structures while suggesting the demolition of at least 309 school buildings as these have been rendered unfit for refurbishment, said a district administration official.

Safety of an estimated 30,000 children in these unsafe schools is at stake.

Sapani Kumar Jena, district project co-ordinator of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, said: "A technical committee formed by the district administration had detected the unsafe buildings. It has suggested dismantling of the highly dilapidated structures. It has also called for the repair of other buildings. We have drawn the attention of the higher-ups. Once the grants are released, works would resume either to dismantle or repair the unsafe schools. We are expecting prompt response from the authorities, so that the work could be started on a priority basis."

"At least seven primary schools are functioning in unsafe structures in the slum settlements of Paradip Port town. Though funds for the construction of new school buildings were sanctioned, work is yet to commence. Land for the new buildings is yet to be allocated," said Paradip municipality chairman Basant Kumar Biswal.

"This was due to the dispute between the port and the government over the land ownership. Now, the dispute has been resolved and an amicable settlement has been reached out. We are hopeful of resumption of school building work shortly," Biswal said.