The time: A few hours before the flood to about seventy hours after.

Occupants: Not reluctant students but thousands of slum-dwellers and those from the low-lying areas temporarily accommodated.

It was destruction, thefts, loss of property and damage to equipment, and, for a change, not by strong water currents. Practically every school has been looted of ceiling fans, window panes, furniture, electrical wires, bulbs, tubelights and - even study material - like globes, charts and books.

The culprits were none other than those among the 50,000-odd people shifted to these schools in the six civic zones. They took away - in technical terms `stole' whatever they could lay hands on. Some even boiled water by making a bonfire of the furniture! No police complaints were lodged because they were flood victims. And the civic body is in the lurch, needing lakhs of rupees to put the schools back in order.

The nagar prathamik shikshan samiti has just finished the compilation of a report listing the losses. Although minor repairs have begun, the committee is yet to replace the stolen equipment. Chairman Hitendra Chudawala tells Express Newsline that the damage may run into lakhs of rupees.

Amita Lalakiya, a Std VII student, while sitting in a second floor classroom of school No 183 on the Ved Road says: ``The fan and tubelight have been taken away. They even took away a couple of benches.'' Joins in Mayuri Ambawala, saying: ``The wall clock is missing and none of these things have been replaced as yet.'' Principals Nirmalaben Modi and Prabhaben Randeri confirm that the locks of rooms were broken open and even globes, charts and books were taken away.

Ditto in the case of other schools. Fans, toys, charts and furniture of school No 143 at Bapunagar (west zone) are missing. The wiring, switch boxes, locks and furniture of several classrooms of school No 24 (central zone), too, are gone. Locks of all the store rooms of school No 94 (east zone) have been broken and many an item is missing. Switchboards, fans, grills, doors and other equipment of school No 185 at Katargam (north zone) have been plucked out.

In addition is the loss because of the flood. Of the 59 civic schools affected, 29 were in water upto 15 feet. ``There has been loss of lakhs of rupees worth of property, including benches, fans, tubelights, TV sets, VCRs, among others. We have submitted an initial report to the corporation but the exact loss can be determined in a week'', says Chudawala.

He reveals a more serious loss. In many schools, original documents like school leaving certificates are missing. ``Something has to be done about it.'' There have been numerous cases where those given shelter had taken away whatever they could when they returned home, he adds.

It happens only in India as goes the refrain in a recent Hindi film song making rounds on the television.