Odisha CM sanctions Rs 2.49cr for reconstruction of school used as morgue during train crash

Jun 22 (PTI) Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday sanctioned Rs 2.49 crore 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.

The funds were sanctioned from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), said a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The decision to raze the building was taken after the school managing committee (SMC) stated that the building was old and not safe, and that kids were reluctant to attend classes in the school where bodies were kept, officials said.

Guardians had also demanded the demolition of the building as photos of bodies being ferried to the school for identification by their families had been imprinted in the minds of children.

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 reopened after summer vacations on Wednesday, and classes were being held in temporary classrooms set up on the campus, they said.

A total of 287 bodies of people killed in the June 2 train accident were kept at the school, they added.

The state government has also decided 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.

The 65-year-old school is barely half-a kilometer from the site of the train accident. It has 565 students, and of them, 112 attended classes on the first day of its reopening on Wednesday, officials said.