‘Children had already gone for tuitions wading through floodwaters,’ Alappuzha Collector faces backlash for delay in announcing holiday

ALAPPUZHA: Rains are intensifying across the state. Despite heavy rains, a holiday was declared for educational institutions in Alappuzha only Monday morning. With this, the district collector's page received harsh criticisms from parents as comments. Initially, a holiday had been declared only for the flood-prone Chengannur and Kuttanad taluks. Not declaring the holiday despite receiving a heavy rain warning on the siren phone made the parents angry.

The delay in issuing the announcement triggered widespread criticism from parents on the district collector's social media page. ‘The decision could have been announced yesterday evening, ‘Children had already waded through floodwater to reach their tuition classes, and ‘We received a severe rain warning on our phones during the night, yet no holiday was declared.’

‘Considering the continued heavy rain, ongoing weather alerts, the possibility of water being released from the Moozhiyar Dam, and the threat of coastal erosion, the district collector later announced a holiday for all educational institutions in the district, including professional colleges, on Monday. The order is not applicable to public examinations.