New Delhi: Taking a serious note of schools being run from tents, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the government to immediately replace the temporary structures with pre-fabricated portable cabins.

The court's order came on a plea filed by NGO Social Jurist which highlighted the poor facilities at a government co-education secondary school in Sundar Nagri in east Delhi.

"It is torturous for students and also the teachers. Since construction of building will take substantial time, the government is advised to set up portable cabins immediately," the court said.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R.S. Endlaw directed the competent authorities to provide all infrastructures and safety to 390 students studying in the school.

The NGO said the schools were using tents as classrooms despite the court's earlier order to the Delhi government and civic agencies not to run classes in tents.

The division bench said: "We cannot allow the school to run like this. Even schools having nice buildings remain closed during the cold in December and what will happen to these children."

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, appearing for the NGO, told the court: "Only the boundary wall of the school is under construction and the completion of a building with 32 classrooms will take at least two to three years. The students have been suffering in the cold." IANS