Malda43 minutes agoAuthor: Tirthankar Das
The Mahananda River has been running high during the monsoon. Despite the strong current, more than 100 school students are crossing the river by boat every day without life jackets, raising concerns over their safety.
Students depend on boats to study
Students of Kalachand High School, Ahladmoni Girls’ High School, and Shankhmohan Primary School travel by boat between Tekra Ghat in Narhatta, under English Bazar block, and Lolabagh Ghat in Old Malda. Local residents said ordinary passengers also risk their lives by travelling on small and medium-sized boats.
No alternative route to reach school
Most of the students at Shankhamohan Primary School come from Tekra village, located across the Mahananda river. Teachers said the students have no practical alternative to crossing the river by boat to reach school.
The majority of our students come from Tekra village, which falls under English Bazar block. They have to cross the river because there is no other convenient way to reach the school. We have informed the authorities about the issue, but there has been no proper arrangement for their safety,
said Suchandra Sengupta, a teacher at Shankhamohan Primary School.
She said the school wants the administration to consider building a bridge or making proper emergency arrangements at the ghat in case a boat capsizes.
Small boats raise serious safety concerns
According to local residents, the river crossing takes around 15 minutes by boat, while travelling by road takes nearly an hour. Passengers are reportedly charged Rs 5 to Rs 10 for the boat journey. However, questions have also been raised over whether the ghat and the boats operating there have the required documents and permissions.
Road journey takes nearly one hour
School principal Nipal Bhattacharya said nearly 90% of the students come from Tekra village. During the monsoon, the rising water level makes the journey particularly risky.
Students travel in small dinghies as well as larger boats, but they do not always have adequate safety arrangements. If a small boat capsizes, there could be a serious accident and our students could be badly affected,
Bhattacharya said.
He urged the administration to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of the students during the monsoon and provide proper safety equipment.
Questions raised over ferry ghat legality
MLA Gopal Chandra Saha said the issue had also come to his notice. He said ferry services in the area have existed for years and that the legality of the ghats and boats should be checked.
The safety of passengers must come first, especially the school students who cross the river every day. Life jackets should be available for those travelling by boat,
Saha said.
The MLA said he would raise the matter with the district administration and speak to the District Magistrate to ensure that passengers, particularly students, can cross the river safely.
