Sonepur: Resentment is brewing among residents of Binika in the district as there has been an inordinate delay in the opening of a proposed model school.

Such schools under the aegis of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan, a venture of the school and mass education department, has already been opened in other block headquarters of the district. Local residents express concern over the fact that construction of the school building has been delayed because of the district administration's indifferent attitude. Students, who stay at Binika and want to study at the model schools, are forced to travel to other places for the study purpose.

The proposed school was to be opened in the 2017-18 session, but it was not possible because of the lack of a school building. The public works department is supposed to take up the school construction job.

Former Binika MLA Parikshit Karna said local children were paying the price for the administration's indifferent attitude in delaying the project. "This is very insensitive on part of the government and the administration to delay projects like this which determine the future of children. The authority must take steps to ensure that the school comes up as soon as possible," Karna said. Social activist Himanshu Sekhar Tripathy said: "It is unfortunate that neither the district administration nor the state government is showing any initiative towards the school."

The BJP's Sonepur district president Bijaya Mahakud slammed the authorities, saying it was because of negligence on part of the Naveen Patnaik government that Binika was lagging behind on all fronts. On the other hand, public works department officials said they could start the work only after getting an order from the higher authority.

Assistant engineer of the Binika PWD sub-division Prabhudatta Pradhan said the file related to the school construction was pending with the works' chief engineer in Balangir. "We need permission from the chief engineer's office to start any work. We have not received any order regarding the school construction," Pradhan said.

Water protest

Narendrapur of Nayagarh district is suffering acute water crisis. Women of the village staged a demonstration by blocking the road and squatting with empty water pots. They demanded immediate supply of drinking water to all households. A source said traffic came to a standstill between Nayagarh and Odagaon due to the protest.