TRISHULI BAZAAR (NUWAKOT, NEPAL): India assured support for complete reconstruction of flood-ravaged Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Bidur, two days after TOI reported that the institution was seeking New Delhi’s help to rebuild on higher, safer ground.The assurance came less than a week after around 900 students on campus escaped the Aug 26 flash flood following an emergency evacuation, while hundreds more travelling to school were stopped from entering the danger zone. The school had 1,643 students enrolled.Indian ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava met the school’s principal Rajendra Dawadi Tuesday. Srivastava recalled the institution’s long association with India, including construction of its newer building through Indian grant assistance. He said Dawadi’s timely action had saved lives of over 1,600 schoolchildren. TOI had earlier reported how around 900 students were inside the school when warnings came, while buses carrying hundreds of others were stopped before reaching the danger zone.Dawadi told TOI after the meeting with Srivastava on Wednesday: “We are deeply grateful to India for the reassurance and for standing with us at this difficult time. The assurance has given the entire school community hope at a time when we are trying to restart classes and also looking for a safe location for a permanent campus. Our entire school infrastructure has been destroyed, so our immediate priority is to bring the students back to classrooms.“The flood has swept away virtually the entire campus, including its 18-room, three-storey academic block. The school’s two buses were among the few assets left. Two staffers – non-teaching employee Chulrim Lama and secondary teacher Santos Parihar – still remain missing.The school’s links with India stretch back decades. Embassy of India records said Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School was established in 1951 and was designed by K I Singh, an Indian engineer who had come to Nepal for Trishuli Hydro Project. India later funded a new school building at a cost of NRs 25 million, or Nepalese Rs 2.5 crore, under India-Nepal Development Cooperation.
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Indian officials and local authorities inaugurated the building on Aug 2, 2022.India’s latest assurance came as Nepal’s private sector also mobilised assistance for schools and communities hit by the flood. Chaudhary Foundation, CSR arm of Chaudhary Group, announced immediate assistance to help Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School restart classes from a temporary location.Dawadi said restoring a Bailey bridge would make restart easier. He said bringing children back together with their classmates and teachers would help them recover from trauma.
