It's the same story in each of the 74 municipal primary schools that sheltered flood victims.

They stole almost everything they could lay hands on. Some even boiled water by making 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 primary education board has just finished compiling a report listing the losses. Although minor repairs have begun, the committee is yet to replace the stolen material. Board chairman Hitendra Chudawala says the damage may run into lakhs of rupees.

Amita Lalakiya, a std VII student, sitting in a second floor classroom of school No 183 on Ved Road, says: ``The fan and tubelight have been taken away. Theyeven 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 broke 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 storerooms 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 there is the loss caused by the floods. Of the 59 civic schools affected, 29 were in water up to 15 feet. ``There has been loss of lakhs of rupees worth of property, including benches, fans, tubelights, TV sets, VCRs, among others. We havesubmitted an initial report to the corporation but the exact loss can be determined in a week,'' says Chudawala.