After a former IAS officer highlights the stalled project, the administration measures land for upper primary school in the remote Lahuriyadah village
By Santosh Dev Giri
Mirzapur: “Madam, if you had stayed a few more days, the fate of our village would have changed.”
The words capture the gratitude of residents of Lahuriyadah, a remote hill village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district, where work has finally begun to move forward on a long-pending upper primary school following a social media post by former district magistrate Divya Mittal.
The administration has begun measuring and demarcating the land allotted for the school, which was approved in 2024 but remained unbuilt despite the release of funds. The development has brought relief and happiness to villagers, who say children have long struggled to continue their education beyond Class 5.
Divya Mittal’s post raises questions over delay
In a recent social media post recalling her tenure as Mirzapur district magistrate, Mittal described how a woman from the village had approached her seeking a school for local children.
Mittal wrote that she had initially assumed the woman might seek help with a pension or a permanent house. Instead, the woman told her that the village had a school only up to Class 5, after which children had to travel through forests and hilly terrain to continue their education.
The woman, Mittal, said she prioritised a school even though her own house did not have a water connection.
Mittal said she checked the rules and approved the school. However, she pointed out that construction had still not begun three years later, despite the approval and availability of funds. Questioning the delay, she wrote that what was missing was the “will” to implement the project.
Land measurement completed
Following the post, officials visited the proposed school site in Lahuriyadah on Wednesday afternoon.
Block Education Officer (BEO) Prakash Chandra Yadav and Village Administrator Kaushlendra Kumar Gupta reached the site with their team at around noon. Under the supervision of Ganga Shankar Ojha, principal of the primary school, they measured and demarcated the land allotted for the school.
The school was approved in 2024 after villagers, particularly Devkali, raised the demand during an inspection in 2023. The government released ₹25 lakh for the project in August 2025, but construction remained stalled.
The school, once built, is expected to benefit children from Lahuriyadah and nearby areas, particularly those from poor and labouring families. It will allow students to study up to Class 8 closer to home, reducing the need to travel long distances through difficult terrain.
Villagers seek proper drainage
Residents have also raised concerns about the proposed construction site, where a drain carries rainwater. They have demanded that adequate drainage arrangements be made as part of the school’s construction to prevent waterlogging and damage.
Village head Kaushlendra Gupta welcomed the move, saying the school would be particularly beneficial for girls’ education.
Villagers, including Devkali, Krishna Verma, Geeta Devi, Heera Yadav and Lal Bahadur Yadav, expressed happiness over the administration’s action. Women in the village said they were grateful that the long-pending demand was finally receiving attention.
“If Divya ji had stayed in Mirzapur a few more days, the fate of our entire village would have changed,” they said.
For Lahuriyadah’s residents, the land measurement marks an important step toward a school they have sought for years. The next test will be whether renewed administrative attention translates into completing the project.
