SCBC meeting discusses commencement of OBC Residential School at Kamrang

NAMCHI, 20 June [IPR]: A meeting of Sikkim Commission for Backward Classes (SCBC) was held at Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Lower Kamrang, South Sikkim today under the chairmanship of the Chairman SCBC, TN Sharma. The objective of the meeting was to discuss on the commencement of OBC School in the next academic session here in the ITI building which was initially constructed for the purpose of running OBC School by the state government.
Mr Sharma informed that the Chief Minister, in a meeting held on 02 June, has directed the SCBC to start the OBC Residential School at Kamrang from the next academic session itself. He added that the Chief Minister has asked the State OBC Board to take charge of the school and oversee the completion of the remaining works for the school.
The Chairman SCBC asked all the HODs and representatives present to submit their action reports to the commission within a week’s time which he informed would be submitted to the Chief Minister’s office. He also called for the cooperation of all to make this OBC School a model school in the state and to deliver quality education to the students.
Mr Sharma said that OBC is not based on caste concept but is based on class concept so it is the effort of the present government to uplift all the backward classes of the society by providing them equal privileges in all sectors. He further informed that the school would be set up from the 6th standard to enrol local students only from primary schools of the state. To clear the doubt of the people, the Chairman informed that OBC School also included MBC and would cater education to all the locals of the state from private schools as well.
It may be mentioned here that at present Industrial Training Institute under Labour department is functioning in the OBC School building. The official of Labour Department requested the SCBC to provide two months time to shift ITI to its new location at Ketchu Dumra Kamrang which is 6kms away from ITI. He informed that ITI would evacuate the premises soon after the completion of electrification and water connection works in its new building.
During the interactive session, SE HRDD Namchi informed that the total area of the OBC School was 20 acres. Besides the three storied school building, HRDD is currently carrying out the final works of two separate hostel buildings for boys and girls which is 150 bedded each for girls and boys. SE informed that the total cost of the project was Rs 322 crore. The construction of other infrastructures like housing quarter for Principal and staffs, school area fencing, playground, road carpeting, Principal’s office etc would be initiated in the second phase of the project.
Assistant Engineers of PHE and Power departments were also directed by the SCBC chairman to complete all the water connection and electrification works remaining in the school building and the hostels.
Joint Secretary SCBC, BK Pradhan welcomed the gathering and asked the members to submit a collective opinion report to the SCBC on the matters discussed.
Later the team inspected the school building and boys and girls hostels.
The meeting was attended by OBC Board Chairman, AK Gurung, Welfare Board Chairman, PR Sherpa, BDO Namchi, SDM Hqr, SDZP Adhakshya (South), members of SCBC, Panchayat Members and representatives of all the concerned government and non-government agencies.