Crocodiles, flood can't stop students from going to school in Odisha

Kendrapara (Odisha): Bereft of bridge connectivity, students of a far-flung village in Kendrapara district are forced to wade through waist-deep water in a crocodile- infested creek to reach their school everyday.

It's a dangerous journey for the children of Burudia village under Rajkanika tehsil as threat of crocodile pouncing upon them is quite imminent. The village does not have a school, with the nearest one located at Tarasa village, more than a kilometre from Burudia. To reach school, children wade through the creek that separates the two villages. "The creek is a narrow one and it spills during rainy season. It is also a habitation corridor of salt-water crocodiles.

Children traverse through the river to attend classes. But guardians accompany them to ensure their safety," said a local, Ram Chandra Mohanty.