Several students of the Kalyani unit of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Nadia fell ill when dense smoke from garbage set on fire at a dump yard enveloped the campus on Wednesday night.

Around 700 students, along with their teachers and other staff members, who live on the campus of the central residential school, suffered breathing trouble and other health issues for around seven hours trapped in thick smoke.

Around 100 students, who had come from the districts for the ongoing scouts training on the campus, and residents near the campus also suffered.

Police, local BJP MLA Ambika Roy and municipality chairman Nilimesh Roy Chowdhury rushed to the campus and summoned fire tenders to douse fire and smoke.

The situation improved in the small hours of Thursday after fire service personnel controlled the smoke using jet sprayers.

Wisps of smoke kept emanating from the garbage till Thursday afternoon. Kalyani municipality authorities engaged its workers to douse the smoke with water.

“Smoke emanating from the dumping ground is a regular problem but we did not experience anything like what happened last night (Wednesday). Students complained of suffocation, headache, nausea and burning eyes. Many students fell ill. We had to call the doctor,” said school principal Mousumi Nag.

Despite objections by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya authorities, Kalyani Municipality authorities have been dumping trash on a stretch of land near the school for some time, she said.

“It is inexplicable that municipal authorities could allow dumping garbage and setting it on fire within 200 metres of a residential school,” Nag said.

Municipality chairman Nilimesh Roy Chowdhury, a retired academic, refuted Nag’s allegation of setting trash on fire.

“It is true we dump trash close to the school but it is a temporary arrangement. We suspect ragpickers had set the garbage on fire. The district administration has said the dumping ground will be shifted to ward 8 by next week,” he said.

According to a professor of Kalyani University burning trash releases toxins in the air. “The carbon monoxide, methane, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds can affect the health of those inhaling the air,” the professor said.

Kalyani’s BJP MLA Roy said: “Irresponsible people are running the civic administration. They are not even concerned about the safety of children. The civic body should be punished for disposing of garbage unscientifically and for setting trash on fire since the National Green Bench in 2015 has banned burning garbage, dry leaves, waste plastic, rubber... in the open.”