Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on June 22, Thursday, declared that an amount of Rs 2.49 crore has been sanctioned for the reconstruction of the Bahanaga High School, which was demolished after being used as a morgue to keep bodies of people killed in the Balasore triple train crash, according to PTI.
The sanctioned funds were a part of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF), said a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
A decision was taken by the administration to raze the building after the school managing committee (SMC) had complained about the building's infrastructure and also the proximity of the location to the accident's site. The 65-year-old school is barely half-a kilometre from the site of the train accident. They also mentioned that the kids were reluctant to attend classes in the school where bodies were kept.
Based on the SMC's decision and request by guardians and locals, Patnaik held a meeting with senior government officials, including the chief secretary, and sanctioned the reconstruction of the institute, officials said.
The school had reopened recently after summer vacations on Wednesday, June 21 and classes were being held in temporary classrooms set up on the campus, they said. In another decision, the state government has agreed to make it a model school with facilities such as a library, science laboratory and digital classrooms.
In recognition of the extraordinary services provided by the teachers and locals during the train accident, Patnaik directed to include Bahanaga High School in the state's flagship 5T initiative for transformation, the statement said.
It has 565 students, and of them, 112 attended classes on the first day of its reopening on Wednesday, officials said.
