COVID-19 and Baghjan oil blowout: Schools in Tinsukia face uncertain future

TINSUKIA: Following Baghjan BGR 5 blowout and intermittent explosion with deafening sound on May 27, residents of Nutan Gaon, which is just a kilometre away from the blowout site on the south-western side of Maguri-Motapung Beel (wetland), started experiencing tremor of moderate intensity since evening and the jolt intensified during night hours.

The families panicked and fled their homes. They took shelter in Guijan High School and Guijan Hindi High School. Though many families from Gotong, Koliapani and Nutan Gaon returned to their homes after a month, some families stayed back apprehending losing compensation. These families, despite persuasion by the officials of the district administration, declined to vacate the school relief camps even though they were facing hardships.

As the Education Department is contemplating to re-open schools, these two schools have encountered multifaceted problems. The headmaster of Guijan High School, Ramesh Deka told this correspondent that unless the school was made completely free of inmates, it would be very risky for students to enter the school premises that would be susceptible to COVID infection as the inmates frequently move out of the school and loiter around. A school with 761 enrolments, Deka said it was not possible to spare additional rooms for affected families.

The situation is no better in Guijan Hindi High School with enrolment of 275. Headmaster Prakash Pandey contended that though teachers have been subjected to COVID test as per guidelines of the Health Department, the risk factor will always remain as long as affected families of Baghjan blowout remain within the school campus.

An official source said, "We can't keep educational institution closed for indefinite period just because the families are reluctant to move out elsewhere." But he added that as the compensation issue was getting complex day-by-day and was unlikely to be resolved soon, the administration was persuading the families to vacate the schools and relief camps and to move to an alternative accommodation which the administration had assured to arrange with infrastructural facilities. The families seem to be bent on not leaving the relief camps till compensation matters are settled.

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