Powerless: School without electricity since cable theft six month ago

Police have registered an FIR on Oct 5, SDO Office decline comment.

BAHAWALPUR:

Government High School Sajawal Wala in Bahawalpur has no electricity since the main supply line was disconnected and stolen by unidentified thieves six months ago in April.

Musafir Khana police have registered the FIR in the theft on October 5, 2010. Station House Officer (SHO) Noor Nawaz told The Express Tribune that they had registered the case as soon as they received an application from the sub divisional officer (operations).

School administration however claims that they have been contacting the police and the SDO Office ever since the theft took place but they did not receive a positive response.

Information Technology teacher at the school, Mohammad Saleem, told The Tribune, “I have visited the Musafir Khana police station several times but they refused to register an FIR,” he said.

He said instead of taking notice of the theft SDO (Wapda) Chaudhry Ashraf blamed the school administration for having failed to catch the thieves. “I told him that I am a school teacher not a policeman,” he said.

IT teacher Shabir said he had written an application to the District Education Officer on April 9 and that all details were enclosed in it.

EDO (Education) Naseem Mansoor however said she had not been contacted by the school administration.

He said the matter was also raised during Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif’s team and District Monitoring Officer Ali Akhter visit to the school in May. “They assured that a new power line would soon be arranged but nothing has yet been done.”

He said he had filed a complaint with Peoples Party’s MPA Shah Rukh Khan in this regard.

He said the cable supplying electricity to the school was about 2,400 feet long.

SDO Office was contacted but they denied comment.

Shabir said final examination of matric was scheduled to be held in March 2011. He said student’s preparation was being affected due to the power outage.

The school computer lab has not been functional ever since it was inaugurated because of there was no electricity.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2011.