Times of India, July 10, 2010
BHAWANIPATNA: Summer vacations were over a month ago but classes are yet to resume in the 15 primary schools inside the Sunabeda tiger sanctuary area of Nuapada district.
Teachers are not coming to the schools in Soseng and Sunabeda panchayats fearing Maoist attack. As a result the students, most of whom belong to the Chakutia Bhunjia and Paharia tribal communities, are not showing up.
"We have been working in fear in the school since the rebels began their operations in the sanctuary area. We had apprised higher authorities about the security problem, but to no avail. We were just waiting for the summer vacation to begin," a teacher said. The 28 teachers in the 15 schools are determined not to join until their security is ensured, hampering the education of 886 students.
Nuapada collector Pradip Hota said he has sent a team to the area headed by additional district welfare officer (ADWO) along with inspector of schools to take stock of the situation and submit a report. "We will act after the report comes in. It will tell us about the ground realities," the collector said.
Two months ago, the forest staff had boycotted tiger census as their security was not ensured. A few days before the census, a forester was killed Maoists near the sanctuary.
Extremist menace started in Nuapada on may 23, 2009 when the rebels ransacked the forest range office at Cherechua. This was followed by the destruction of a beat house at Soseng after a month. In November 2009, the Maoists killed anti-poaching watchman Kirish Rout and former ward member of Sunabeda village Chandan Singh Barge.
Sunabeda reserve sprawls over 600 sq km and there are 75 villages out of which 17 hamlets are in the core area of the sanctuary. Mostly Paharia and Chakutia Bhunjia tribes reside here. About 2,000 people had been evicted when the sanctuary area was demarcated. There are 68 big cats as per the 2004 census. But the 2005 census reported the presence of 34 tigers.
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