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Regular-article-logo Friday, 10 May 2024

Calcutta schools bear brunt of storm

Complete assessment of the damage to the institutions will take more time, say their heads

Jhinuk Mazumdar Calcutta Published 23.05.20, 09:21 PM
Uprooted trees in front of Calcutta Boys’ School.

Uprooted trees in front of Calcutta Boys’ School. Picture by Gautam Bose

School campuses have been affected by Cyclone Amphan. Over a dozen trees have been uprooted in one institution while the main gate of another has been damaged.

At St James’ School, the signboard has been ripped off and over a dozen trees have been uprooted. “During Aila, a couple of trees had been uprooted but the extent of damage was not this severe. Regarding the lab equipment and the computer rooms, we will be able to assess the damage only after the school reopens,” Terence Ireland, the principal of St James’, said.

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At Calcutta Boys’ School, trees crashed on the main gate and damaged a portion of it. The boundary wall of the field has been damaged after a tree fell on it.

Some of the newer schools like The Newtown School and South City International School have also borne the brunt of Amphan.

At South City International, six palm trees have been uprooted and a portion of the boundary wall has been damaged after a tree fell on it.

The façade of The Newtown School has been damaged as some of the structures were blown away in the storm. In the rooftop volleyball court, the steel structure has been damaged.

In some schools, windowpanes have been smashed and in some, frames have come off the hinges.

Some campuses have been flooded by rainwater.

Some school heads said it was difficult to get labourers during the lockdown. A complete assessment of the damage will take more time, they said.

“We will require manpower to get things in order. Also, we have no broadband, phone or Internet connections,” Raja McGee, principal of Calcutta Boys’, said.

Board exams have been scheduled for July and schools have to complete repairs by then.

“Some of the repairs like that of the volleyball court will take time. It will have to be dismantled and reinstalled,” Sunil Agarwal, founder-director of The Newtown School, said.

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