LAHORE, Nov 3: A primary girls school at a village in Nankana Sahib has been freed from encroachers and immediately upgraded to the middle level on the directive of the Punjab ombudsman who took a suo moto notice of a news item.

The news published on behalf of the residents of Chak 18-GB, Nankana Sahib tehsil, stated that the Government Girls Model School of the village which was constructed 13 years ago had not been made functional so far as some influential people had illegally occupied the building and kept their cattle in it.

The girls of the area had to travel three kilometres to attend another school in Chak 17-GB.

In response to a query by the ombudsman, the EDO (education) of Nankana Sahib informed the Mohtasib Secretariat that the school constructed by the buildings department had not been handed over to the education department. He admitted that the building was illegally occupied by some influential people of the village.

After a thorough investigation of the case by the ombudsman, it transpired that the school was not constructed by the buildings department and was constructed by the Local Government under the MPA Grant in 1992.—APP