Munnar: For the students of Munnar Vocational Higher Secondary School in Kerala’s Idukki district, last week brought long-awaited relief as electricity was finally restored after a two-month disconnection. The outage had left over 120 students and staff struggling without smart classrooms, laboratories or even a proper water supply.

The school’s power had been cut on August 4 during statewide safety inspections carried out following the electrocution of a student in Kollam.

Lakshmi, the school in-charge, said, "The school’s power supply was disconnected on August 4. We had been facing many hardships in the last two months. We weren't able to use the smart classrooms and laboratories. Office work was also stalled. But, last Saturday, we got our electricity back. We thank all the people who made efforts to get it restored."

Students too voiced their relief and gratitude.

One student said, "We, especially girls, faced lots of problems without electricity and water in the school. With the support of media and panchayat, we have got it back now."

While another student said, "We didn't have electricity for the past two months. After all the struggle, we have electricity now. We are now able to attend classes with projectors. Water supply has also been restored. We are happy now. I want to thank all those who helped."

The school’s electricity restoration came after media reports highlighted the issue, leading to intervention by the Kerala Human Rights Commission.