Cuttack: The Municipal Girls’ High School at Thoria Sahi here has been deprived of electricity for last 10 months over outstanding dues.
The authorities of Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (Cesu) have been refusing to restore electricity supply to the school as the power dues of the institute has crossed Rs 14 lakh, sources said.
The school was established with a few students in 1957. Subsequently, the school came under the jurisdiction of the municipal body of the city. However, the institute was accorded a government school status February 28, 2004. At present, the school has altogether 238 girls from Class VI to Class X. According to sources, electricity supply to the school was cut January 15 this year as the authorities failed to clear the pending power dues of Rs 14,15, 159.
The Cesu authorities, however, restored power supply to the girls’ high school for a brief period during the 2019 general and Assembly elections as a polling booth was set up at the institute.
“The state government should pay power bills for the school. But no one is listening to our problems. We have written to the District Collector on the issue. Without electricity, we are facing problems to supply drinking water to students,” said headmistress Bishnupriya Das.
Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) commissioner Ananya Das said they came to know about the issue a few days ago. “We will try to solve the issue after looking into all aspects,” she added.