Schools reopen in five Punjab border districts
Punjab shares a 553-kilometre border with Pakistan, spanning the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur.
Chandigarh/Amritsar
Schools in five Punjab districts bordering Pakistan reopened on Wednesday, six days after they were ordered to close in view of the military standoff between India and Pakistan, officials said.
The state government on May 8 ordered the closure of academic institutions for three days as a military standoff between India and Pakistan soared. While schools in most districts reopened on Monday, they remained shut in the six border districts.
Punjab shares a 553-kilometre border with Pakistan, spanning the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur.
While schools in Gurdaspur reopened on Tuesday, those in the other five border districts followed suit on Wednesday.
“We are reopening school today as per the government guidelines,” said a teacher at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, at Attari in Amritsar.
The Amritsar district administration on Tuesday said schools would remain open from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm.
In Pathankot, a teacher said student attendance was at 80% on the first day after reopening of schools. “We appeal to all parents to send their children to school,” said the teacher.
The situation continued to remain normal in border areas in Punjab with markets teeming with people and schools reopening.
In Amritsar, cloth merchant Rajinder Arora said the usual footfall is back in Katra Jaimal Singh market, famous for ladies’ suits.
Mahesh Kumar, a wholesale trader of fruits and vegetables at the Vallah fruit market said buying and selling had resumed in full swing as panic faded.
Rush was also witnessed in Amritsar’s Guru Bazaar and Hall Bazaar, hubs of gold jewellery and electronics, respectively. Owners of hotels and guest houses around the Golden Temple were hopeful of getting more tourist bookings.
India and Pakistan reached an agreement on May 10 to halt military actions after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
