Munish Sood
mandi
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is expected to visit Deori in Mandi district on Tuesday, August 18, in what could mark the culmination of a nearly three-year-old story involving a disaster-hit school, a promise made to local children and a controversial delay in the inauguration of its newly constructed building.
Priyanka Gandhi is likely to visit the newly rebuilt Government Senior Secondary School at Deori and interact with students. The visit is being described by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as a private and personal visit, rather than an official government or political programme.
The proposed visit has assumed significance because of Priyanka Gandhi’s earlier association with the school. In September 2023, when large parts of Himachal Pradesh were reeling under the impact of cloudbursts, floods and landslides, she visited disaster-hit areas of Mandi, including Deori in the Drang Assembly constituency, to take stock of the damage. During the visit, local residents and schoolchildren apprised her of the condition of their school and sought help for its reconstruction.
The school building had suffered extensive damage during the 2023 disaster, forcing students to continue their studies under difficult circumstances. Following the demand raised during Priyanka Gandhi’s visit, the reconstruction project was taken up and a new school building was subsequently constructed.
The new building, built at a cost of around ₹4.69 crore, is now ready. However, instead of the inauguration bringing the episode to a close, the school became embroiled in an unusual controversy.
Education Minister reached Deori, but inauguration was stopped
The controversy intensified in July when Education Minister Rohit Thakur reached Deori for the inauguration of the newly constructed school building.
Preparations for the programme had reportedly been made and the minister had reached the venue. However, before the formalities could be completed, a communication was received from Shimla asking the minister to return and not proceed with the remaining inauguration formalities.
The inauguration was consequently called off. The plaque associated with the inauguration was also removed, leaving the newly constructed school building without a formal opening.
The sudden cancellation generated considerable discussion in the area. Questions were raised over why the inauguration of a completed government school building had been stopped after the Education Minister had already reached the venue.
The episode became particularly sensitive because of reports that the government wanted Priyanka Gandhi to inaugurate the building during a future visit to Himachal Pradesh.
High Court takes note of the issue
The matter subsequently reached the Himachal Pradesh High Court through a public interest petition.
During the proceedings, the court took note of the fact that the new school building had been completed but was not being put to use. The court questioned why students were continuing to study elsewhere when a new government building was available.
The court sought a response from the state government and other concerned authorities, turning what had initially appeared to be a dispute over an inauguration into a larger question concerning the use of public infrastructure and the interests of schoolchildren.
The issue also highlighted the situation of students who were continuing their education in the existing arrangement despite the completion of the new campus. The court’s intervention brought renewed focus on the need to make the building operational rather than keeping it locked.
A promise made during the 2023 disaster
The proposed August 18 visit has therefore brought the story back to where it began.
When Priyanka Gandhi visited Deori in September 2023, the area was still dealing with the devastation caused by the monsoon disaster. The plight of the school was brought to her notice by local children and residents.
Nearly three years later, the school building constructed after that intervention is ready. Priyanka Gandhi’s proposed visit could now provide an opportunity for her to see the completed facility and meet the students who had sought her help.
For the children, the significance of the occasion goes beyond politics or an inauguration ceremony. The rebuilding of the school was triggered by the destruction caused by the 2023 disaster, and the new building is intended to provide students with a safer and more permanent learning environment.
Private visit, but considerable political interest
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has maintained that Priyanka Gandhi’s proposed visit is private and personal in nature and should not be treated as an official government or party programme.
Despite this clarification, the visit is likely to attract considerable political attention because of the sequence of events surrounding the school. The Education Minister’s aborted inauguration, the subsequent controversy and the intervention of the High Court have already made Deori a closely watched issue in Himachal Pradesh.
If Priyanka Gandhi visits the school as scheduled and inaugurates the building, it would bring an unusual chapter to a close—one that began with the destruction of a school during the 2023 disaster, continued with an appeal by schoolchildren, led to the construction of a new multi-crore building, and then became caught up in a dispute over its inauguration.
For Deori’s students and their families, however, the larger expectation is that the new building should finally become fully functional and that the children should be able to study in the permanent school facility without any further delay.
