HAMIRPUR: A protest by hundreds of schoolchildren demanding something as basic as a proper road to their school has drawn support from Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, who said the demand should have been addressed decades ago.Dipke, in a post on X, praised the children who marched to the Hamirpur district collectorate over damaged, waterlogged roads, saying their demand for basic connectivity was hardly unreasonable.“Salute to these kids who are fighting for their future!”“All they are asking for is a road to their school. Is that too much to ask after nearly 80 years of Independence? This should have been done decades ago.”Dipke also urged people to make rural education and infrastructure a priority ahead of Independence Day.“This 15th August, let’s pledge to work for the children and schools of rural India,” he said.The post came after at least 300 students, mostly from primary classes, and around 100 parents marched nearly 6km from Gangwa Ka Dera and Bachchi Ka Dera villages to the Hamirpur collectorate on Tuesday.Carrying national flags and banners, the students sought to meet the district magistrate and draw attention to the poor condition of the road connecting their villages to their school.Police stopped the protesters at the collectorate gate. When some children attempted to force their way inside, police personnel brought them back outside.The students and their parents waited for some time before returning to their villages.The students said the damaged road becomes particularly difficult to use during the monsoon, affecting their ability to attend school.“”Mud accumulates on the road after rain, making it difficult to walk. Often our school uniform gets soiled,” a girl student said.The students also alleged that repeated complaints to authorities had not resulted in a permanent solution.“We have complained to the authorities 4-5 times in the past, but no action has been taken. Children and villagers often slip and fall on the road,” she said.Students and villagers had staged a similar protest on July 3. Following that protest, the administration had put soil on the route to make it temporarily usable.Residents, however, said subsequent rains again worsened the condition.Hamirpur ADM (Finance and Revenue) Rakesh Kumar said the administration was aware of the problem and that a proposal for a permanent road had already been prepared by the Public Works Department (PWD).“Residents have submitted a memorandum demanding that the kutcha road be converted into a permanent paved one. Around 1,600 metres of the connecting road is in poor condition and gets waterlogged during monsoon,” he said.“The construction plan for this stretch had been pending for several years. After the forest department issued the required NOC this year, the PWD prepared a project estimated at around Rs 1.81 crore and submitted it to the govt,” Kumar said.He said construction would begin once the proposal receives approval.“The administration is sensitive to the issue of roads and connectivity. Whatever measures are required will be taken,” he said.The protest has brought renewed attention to the basic infrastructure challenges faced by children in rural areas, with the students’ demand centred on a permanent all-weather road to their school.
