Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh: More than 100 girl students of a government-run residential school in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district walked nearly 20 km on Monday to meet the district collector and raise concerns over basic facilities, food, cleanliness and teaching at their hostel, officials said.

The students, from Classes 10 to 12 at the Eklavya Model Residential School in Shivpur village under Batouli block, had set out for Ambikapur, the district headquarters, which is around 30 km away.

The students alleged that their complaints about conditions at the school had gone unaddressed despite repeated requests.

As news of their march reached the district administration, officials were sent to meet the students on the way and persuade them to return. However, the girls insisted on meeting Surguja Collector Ajeet Vasant.

A bus was subsequently arranged around 10 km from Ambikapur to transport the students to the collectorate, where they met Vasant and submitted their grievances.

"The students mainly raised three issues. They said electricity supply at the school has been disrupted for the past one month. There are two DG (diesel generator) sets, but they are used only in emergencies and provide electricity for only three to four hours," Vasant told reporters after meeting the students.

The students also complained that Physics and Chemistry classes were not being conducted properly. They raised concerns about the quality of food and lack of cleanliness at the residential school, the collector said.

Vasant said directions had been issued to the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) to resolve the electricity problem.

"Teachers in Eklavya schools are appointed by the government. Guest teachers have also been appointed as an alternative, but the students said they were not teaching properly. Directions have been issued to address this issue as well," he said.

Directions have also been issued to address cleanliness and other basic facilities at the school, Vasant said.

The collector said the students had previously brought their concerns to the notice of the school principal, but the local administration had not received information about the grievances.

"If we had received information through any channel, the issues could have been resolved," he said.

Vasant directed the Assistant Commissioner of the Tribal Development Department to ensure that the required facilities were provided at the school and that students did not face further inconvenience.

A three-member inquiry team comprising Joint Collector Sharda Agrawal, Sitapur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Phagesh Sinha and Assistant Director of the Tribal Development Department Kiran Rajput has been constituted to investigate the complaints, officials said.

The team has been asked to visit the school and submit its report to the collector within two days. Nodal officers appointed for ashram hostels have also been directed to inspect all hostels within a week and submit their reports.

One of the students fainted after meeting the collector and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance. Her condition was stated to be normal, officials said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and former state minister Amarjeet Bhagat alleged that although funds were being allocated for students in tribal areas, they were not benefiting due to negligence by officials of the concerned department.

He urged the administration to take the matter seriously.

State Congress chief spokesperson Dhananjay Singh Thakur said the condition of tribal hostels and residential schools in the state had exposed what he described as the BJP government's claims of being pro-tribal.

He alleged that despite claims of tribal development, the government had failed to provide tribal children with proper food, security, teachers and safe buildings at hostels, and claimed that scholarships were also not being paid in full.

"What could be more shameful than this, he questioned."

"Earlier, students of the Eklavya residential school in Chhuri in Korba district had been forced to take to the streets for the third time in a month. Similarly, girl students of Bhuneshwarpur hostel in Surajpur district had to sit on a highway demanding proper food and security," Thakur claimed.