As many as 1,120 government-run primary and upper primary schools in Prayagraj division are still functioning without electricity. Both teachers and students of these institutions have been forced to literally sweat it out for the academic activities till now and unless power supply is ensured to these schools, they would be forced to continue to endure the problem even when the schools reopen.
As per the state basic education department records, around 309 government primary and upper primary schools in Prayagraj, 406 in Pratapgarh and 405 in Fatehpur still lack power connections and so students here have no fans and lights for them. Kaushambi district, however, is one exception as it is the only district in the division where all the existing 978 schools have proper electricity supply.
Power department officials claim they have put up electricity poles and even laid wires for providing power supply to most of these schools using the funds made available to them for the task by the basic education department. “But for further task of actually ensuring electricity in these schools, we are still to get the funds from the education department,” a senior power department official said.
A UP legislative panel had recently had raised the issue during a meeting with the officials of the power department on July 13 and they had intimated the panel that the education department had made available ₹86.47 lakh to them and using which they had ensured power cables close to the school buildings and whenever the remaining funds were made available, they would undertake the rest of the work.
“We have completed the work that we could using the funds made available to us by the education department. For the remaining work, we have asked for more funds from them,” said Vinod Kumar Gangwar, chief engineer, Purvanchal Vidhyut Vitran Nigam.
Divisional assistant director (basic education), Prayagraj, Ramesh Kumar Tiwari said the basic shiksha adhikaris of the districts concerned had been ordered to ensure power supply to all government primary and upper primary schools functioning in their districts in coordination with the power department officials on priority. “For the needed funds, already a budget requisition has been made to the state government in this regard,” he added.
Electrified govt primary schools in Prayagraj division:
| District | Total Schools | Electrified | Non-Electrified |
| Prayagraj | 1,727 | 1,418 | 309 |
| Kaushambi | 978 | 978 | — |
| Pratapgarh | 2,785 | 2,379 | 406 |
| Fatehpur | 641 | 236 | 405 |
