Address at the Dedication Ceremony of School-cum-Shelters Constructed

ADDRESS

I am indeed delighted to dedicate this school building constructed out of MP's Local Area Development funds organized by Dr Najma Heptulla, Hon'ble Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. I am reminded of the sad tragedy, which hit this area on 29th October 1999 in the form of a super-cyclone. It was a disaster of extraordinary proportions and it called for a massive deployment of disaster management resources to deal with the emergency and its after effects. I am reminded of the terrible tragedy, which was faced by the brave people of this area who, despite the great set back, have rebuilt their lives.

A tragedy of such mammoth proportions required a massive deployment of men and materials to provide innovative solutions to this great human tragedy. One such innovation has come from the highest democratic institution of the country - and that is the Parliament of India. Under the able leadership of the Hon'ble Dy. Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha Dr Najma Heptulla, an appeal was made to all the members of the Rajya Sabha to contribute to the effort of rebuilding of the cyclone hit State of Orissa from their MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) Funds. 75 of our members of the Rajya Sabha and 4 members from the Lok Sabha volunteered to contribute Rs.10 lakhs each to make a pool of funds to reconstruct some of the school buildings which were damaged in the super cyclone. It is not so much the amount of funds per MP which is so important in this case. Rather, it is the feeling of pain and the resolve of these Hon'ble MPs to help the local people rebuild their community assets which I have found to be worthy of appreciation as well as emulation. All these MPs have shown true leadership qualities in this rehabilitation effort.

Almost 7.5 crores were pooled for this work and HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation) was entrusted with the task of reconstructing these schools. I am told that out of 75 high school buildings which have been taken up with these funds, 55 have so far been completed and schools are already running in them since 2001. The rest also are nearing completion. From the reports prepared, I was very happy to see that HUDCO has provided a large number of construction innovations to ensure that the school buildings can withstand cyclones in the future. As such, they will double up as cyclone shelters during times of need as well. Apart from providing aero-dynamically designed buildings, they have also kept provisions for sustainable measures like rain-water harvesting, sanitation pits and simple designs based on sustainable consumption patterns. I am sure the modern safety features introduced by HUDCO in these structures would become standards for other buildings as well. This itself will be an infusion of appropriate technology in this endeavour.

We cannot hope to develop into an advanced country without the proper use of technology. For rural areas, we need to put into use technology that is known as 'appropriate technology'. It need not be highly advanced or cutting edge technology but it should be of a type and level which can be profitably and easily adapted to our local conditions. For example, in the school buildings itself, HUDCO has introduced many safety and cyclone-proof features. The building itself can be used as a cyclone shelter to cater to the needs of the community should an emergency like a cyclone or flood arise. This then is the concept of appropriate technology. We need to press this technology to our use and advantage in every walk of life in the urban areas and more so in the rural areas for the upliftment of our rural masses.

In the event of natural calamity the most important thing which needs attention is providing in time habitat and necessary facilities to the affected population. I appreciate the idea of establishing a school-cum-shelter, which is a good idea in case of emergency for multiple purposes. My greetings to all the Rajya Sabha members who have contributed for the cause and the state government who cooperated and all the builders of the school complex and houses.

I am sure all the students of this school are proud at their new school environment. I am sure the students and the teachers will work together to keep the environment neat and clean as it is now and that the students will dedicate themselves to study and hardwork and will ensure that the name of this school appears in the Roll of Honour of the Universities and Boards of Education of Orissa and the country.