TGCE: Construction Division of APWD?

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL: 35 | ISSUE: 26 | 03 FEBRUARY 2012

TGCE: Construction Division of APWD?

Sometimes, constructions are a very destructive process. The whole campus of TGCE looks like a Construction Division of APWD with about five to six massive concrete structures covering the entire area turning it into a concrete jungle. There is a permanent Construction Site Office of APWD inside the campus which is self-explanatory. You cannot question the logic how same contractor gets all the construction work in the campus. The State Library, TGCE Building, GDMS Building and now a new 200-seat auditorium have enveloped the whole area.

Out of the four buildings, three were built for TGCE which has only 150-200 students. The GDMS built at a cost of Rs 4 crores is a massive structure with an air-conditioned auditorium. Speaking to LOA, a senior officer from the Directorate of Education said that "special attention cannot be given to any particular school as all schools in the Islands are covered under Right to Education (RTE) Act and should be treated equally." How many schools in the Islands have air-conditioned auditorium and fully tiled floors? Can the Directorate justify the five-star infrastructure of GDMS and the miserable condition of hundreds of schools of the Islands? Moreover, the oldest school of the Islands is struggling to manage its strength without proper infrastructure.

How many auditoriums do 150-200 students need? There are about three auditoriums - one inside the main TGCE building, another one in the GDMS building and now one separate auditorium inaugurated recently by the Lieutenant Governor, whereas the Boys School, which was the only school in the Islands which had a massive auditorium of its own, was usurped for construction of the State Library. The justification that the Principal or the Staff of TGCE is not going to take the building home after retirement at the outset seems too hard to digest.