Official apathy adds to woes of people; anger mounts

Office named as ZEO Purmandal but stations at Kunjwani

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, July 26: The office of Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Purmandal is been the victim of official apathy as the people sitting at the helm of affairs in Department of Education have not bothered enough to demarcate its jurisdiction hanging between Samba and Jammu districts.

Owing to this official apathy people of Purmandal block facing tremendous hardship in placing their grievances before ZEO Purmandal which is situated at Kunjwani, 25 km away from Purmandal.

Sources divulged that 39 Government Primary Schools and 21 Government Middle Schools besides 50 private schools fall under the office of ZEO Purmandal. The block has the teaching strength of 259 Government teachers, they added.

“It is very difficult for the officials of ZEO office to supervise the functioning of education institutions on routine basis in Purmandal area as their office is located at a fair distance which causes hardship,” sources said further.

The people of Purmandal block held several demonstrations under the banner of Grameen Sangarsh Samiti to highlight discrimination and injustice with them but that too failed to evoke any reaction from the Department of Education. Even memorandum demanding shifting of ZEO office to Purmandal was submitted to DC Samba but nothing materialized.

“There is strong resentment among the people of Purmandal block. They want the office of ZEO Purmandal at its right place i.e. Purmandal so that the educational institutions be monitored properly,” expressed PDP leader Sunny Sangral.

He warned that if the genuine demand of people was not considered they will be left with no option but to launch a strong stir, he added. Sangral asked the authorities to mend their ways and put an end to discrimination with Purmandal block.

When contacted, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Samba Ravi Dubey said, “Some schools of Jammu district comes under the office of ZEO Purmandal owing to which office is yet not shifted to Purmandal. The matter can only be resolved with the intervention of higher authorities only. But for the time being DC Samba has asked to send the team of officials every week to monitor the situation of schools falling under Purmandal block.”