School exam timings changed due to dense fog

Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 17

Dense fog during morning hours engulfed Abohar and adjoining areas in Fazilka district for the second day today.

Taking quick cognizance of a representation made by some social activists yesterday, the Education Department has announced to change time for first-term exams of the middle wing from 9 am to 10 am. However, no change in school hours has been made.

As the impact of fog deepened further on Friday, the visibility got reduced to 20 feet on the city bypass.

The representation sent to the Chief Minister and senior officers of the Education Department yesterday pointed out that dozens of teachers and students had lost their lives in the past few years in the accidents ahead of Christmas holidays due to dense fog in Fazilka and other border districts in the state. But each year, the administration wakes up only after such unfortunate mishaps are highlighted in the media. In some incidents, the state government had to grant compensation and jobs to kin of the deceased but school timings were revised only after precious lives were lost.

It is widely known that hundreds of government teachers have to hire vehicles to reach their remotely located place of posting, some of them, including women, said they have not been able to get transferred to the nearest possible place for a long time.