The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has decided to repair the 126-year-old Mirik Higher Secondary School following concerns about the dilapidated structure from residents.

“We have decided to re-develop the entire infrastructure including the school building of Mirik Higher Secondary School. A detailed project report has been prepared and the estimated repair cost stands at around Rs 1.7 crore,” Milesh Rai, an executive member (public health engineering and agriculture department) of the GTA, told The Telegraph.

Recently, Mirik residents aired their grievances over the dilapidated condition of the historic school set up in 1897.

The school was established at Krishnanagar, located near the famed Sumendu Lake of Mirik, some 50km from Siliguri. The school premises is spread over 1.57 acres.

“The necessary restoration work of the old building and its classrooms including overall maintenance of the existing infrastructures of the school will start once the monsoon is over,” Rai, also the president of the managing committee of the 126-year old school, said.

The school presently has 600 students and 29 teachers. The head of the managing committee also said that they will soon restart the school hostel located on the same premises.

At the moment, the hostel can accommodate around 10 students and the managing committee is working to increase its accommodation.

School authorities organised its 125th anniversary celebrations in May 2022, which were attended by Anit Thapa, the chief executive of the GTA. According to a source in the school, the teaching staff and representatives of its managing committee had requested Thapa to take necessary steps to revamp the school building then.

“Considering the current condition of the existing school building, we appealed to the GTA to refurbish it. We are expecting work to begin soon,” S. Khati, the present teacher-in-charge of the school, said.

Gyalbo Lama, the chairperson of Mirik Civil Society, also said that the school should get an immediate facelift.

“The school completed its 125th anniversary last year. The present condition of the school is very poor. We will appreciate it if the GTA takes responsibility for its restoration immediately,” the chairperson of the society, an apolitical forum of citizens, said.