Students of Bangalipada primary school block the Oil Terminal Road in Paradip on Tuesday. 

The students staged the protest to demand a building for their school after the previous one collapsed last week.
The building that housed the government-run primary school in ward No. 6 of Paradip Municipality had collapsed on December 10. The school, which has a strength of 89 students, has been shut since then.

“The department is ready with funds. Rs 6 lakh has already been sanctioned for the school building. However, we are waiting for the port trust to provide us land,” said Sapan Kumar Jena, district project coordinator of the centre-run Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

“Till the new building is constructed, we are planning to relocate the school to a nearby municipality community hall,” said Jena.

“We have taken up the matter as it is affecting education of the children,” said a port trust official.

Telegraph picture