The data sent this year by the state education department regarding the merger of the primary schools in the hills is similar to the same of last year, something which indicates that such merger has been continuing for quite a few years. As per the education department officers, factors like unabated migration and the dwindling number of the students studying in the primary schools are principally leading to the merger of such schools in the hills.
As per the data sent by the education department, the total number of junior schools (class 6th to class 8th) is 2589 in the state and the total number of the primary schools (class 1st to class 5th) is 11707. In the new session of 2018, the figure of the junior schools which have been merged in different districts is the following- Uttarkashi 10, Haridwar two, Chamoli 18, Pauri 37, New Tehri 53, Rudraprayag 14, Nainital 11, Almora 40, Udham Singh Nagar two, Champawat six and Pitthoragarh 28.
The figure of the junior primary school (class 6th to class 8th) which have been merged in different districts of the State is the following- Uttarkashi eight, Haridwar four, Chamoli four, Pauri 12, New Tehri seven, Rudraprayag two, Nainital five, Pitthoragarh one, Champawat one, and Almora six.
As far as Dehradun is concerned, there are 237 junior schools and 904 primary schools spread across the district. In the session of 2018, 11 schools have been merged.
Informing about the merger of schools in line with the state government’s directive, an official from the education department said, “There have been many reasons leading to such merger of schools. The migration of the people from the villages in the hills is of course the principal factor. Besides, the number of students is dwindling in many schools thanks to the growing popularity of the English medium schools. There are also some other factors behind the compulsion of merging schools.”
Hearing of jail inmates mostly through video conferencing
A large number of police personnel doing Kanwad Mela duty now, the court appearances of the inmates of the jails based in Haridwar and Roorkee are being conducted through video conferencing these days.
At present, some 1300 prisoners are languishing in the district jail and nearly 60 of them are taken to different courts daily for their court appearance. Roorkee prison is now lodging around 400 inmates and 30 of them are taken outside the jail daily for the same.
Taking them in and out of the jails require deployment of a large number of cops. According to the prison officials, as many as 100 cops are deployed for this duty.
Now, deploying such a large number of cops for the purpose is proving difficult because of their deployment for the ongoing Kanwad fair. Aside from 1000 police personnel from the district, a good many has been brought from neighbouring states. The police department is not in a position to take chances, given the lesser availability of the force required during the court appearances of the jail inmates. There is another reason. The district jail is now lodging some sharp shooters who worked for the notorious gangster Sunil Rathi. Following the recent murder of the gangster Munna Bajrangi, the security of Chinu Pandit and other mafias lodged in the jails has been tightened.
The hearing through video conferencing not just lessens the threat of the breakout of gang war but it also saves time and resources of the department, say the prison officials.
Speaking to The Pioneer, jailer S M Singh of district jail based in Roshanabad said, “Due to the engagement of the police personnel in the Kanwad Mela duty, the hearing of prisoners is being done through video conferencing presently.