While several old, dull-looking school buildings in the State were refurbished under the government’s flagship ‘Nadu Nedu’ scheme, what made the schools in Chittoor district unique are the lavishly-laid granite floors.
As Chittoor is known for widespread availability of granite, the stones became an integral part of the renovation process. Granite flooring has been laid on 7 lakh square feet area in all schools put together in the district.
The district sanctioned 11,245 works worth ₹369 crore in 1,533 schools and had completed 11,103 works, scoring 98.74%.
Among the constituencies, Chandragiri ranks first with ₹26 crore in 122 schools, followed by Chittoor with ₹10 crore in 54 schools, Gangadhara Nellore with ₹28 crore in 139 schools, Kuppam with ₹32 crore in 121 schools, Madanapalle with ₹18 crore in 69 schools in the first phase.
“When the schools open for the offline mode, the second phase of works will start in as many as one-third of the total number of schools,” says District Collector M. Hari Narayanan.
More than surface painting and laying of walking tracks, several schools got modern infrastructure like clean drinking water, play area and hygienic toilets. “More parents are evincing interest to admit their wards in State-run schools after the renovation process,” says Joint Collect (Development) V. Veerabrahmam.
The unique requirements of a school are identified taking into account the local conditions. “Involving the parents’ committee in the renovation work made us feel responsible and own the process,” avers Uday Kumar Reddy, Parents Committee Chairman of Pudipatla ZP High School in Chowdepalli mandal of Punganur constituency. Women volunteered to paint ‘Rangoli’ on the walls of Siddiraju Kandriga school building in Pichatur mandal of Satyavedu constituency, adding a local touch to the buildings.
