The Tondu TG-III Primary School at the Bamandanga-Tondu tea estate in Nagrakata, Jalpaiguri, was severely damaged by two rampaging elephants late on Friday night.

Locals said that over the past three years, this is the fifth such incident of wild elephants damaging the school building in search of fodder. The most recent incident occurred on this year’s June 10.

The elephants reportedly destroyed the school’s office, which had survived the previous rampages. The mid-day meal kitchen was also damaged.

Although the school is currently closed for the Durga Puja holidays, authorities are unsure whether academic and administrative activities will resume once it reopens.

Laxminarayan Sau, a teacher and a resident of the garden, said: “All the classrooms had already been damaged in previous elephant attacks. We had been conducting classes in those rooms despite risks. Now, even the office and kitchen have not been spared.”

“The school has no funds to carry out repairs. We desperately require administrative help and financial assistance to carry out repairs immediately. Also, a boundary wall is needed to protect the building. Otherwise, we doubt how long this damaged building will survive, and once it collapses, we have no idea where we will conduct the classes,”
he added.

A local said the two elephants strayed into the garden from the nearby Gorumara National Park. The windows of the classrooms were ripped off, and furniture and equipment in the office were destroyed.

According to a source, there are 180 primary students at the school.

On Saturday morning, locals expressed their disgruntlement with the state forest department.

“We are perturbed by repeated elephant attacks at the tea estate, and yet, the forest department does not take any steps to prevent the animals from entering the garden. Also, the primary school education department should take initiatives to repair the school,” said a worker of the garden.