The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Survey on safety of school buildings ordered

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 19, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Survey on safety of school buildings ordered

By Y. Mallikarjun

HYDERABAD, JULY 18. In the wake of the ghastly tragedy at Kumbakonam, the State Government has directed authorities in all districts to immediately conduct a survey on the safety norms of school buildings and shift them to safer places, wherever they were not in conformity with standards.

The Government has asked the district collectors to direct the Mandal Resource Persons and the MROs to take up the survey by preparing a check list containing safety norms for all schools, including Government, local bodies, aided and unaided institutions. "Wherever it is noticed that any of the school building is not in conformity with the safety norms, like being safe from fire accidents, rain and other natural calamities, immediately such schools should be shifted to safe buildings," said a circular issued by the Principal Secretary, Education, I.V.Subba Rao, on Saturday.

It called for paying special attention to the schools, which were functioning in multi-storeyed buildings and with thatched sheds and places where mid-day meals are cooked for schoolchildren.

In all, there are 91,774 Government and private schools in the State. Only 11 per cent of the 71,098 Government schools had kitchen sheds. In 42,037 schools, gas was being used for cooking.

Explaining the action being taken, the School Education Minister, N.Rajyalaxmi, told The Hindu that she was monitoring the progress of the survey on an hourly basis and told officials to either shift schools and kitchens having thatched roofs or replace them with tin sheds. Although thatch-roofed schools were not many in the State, she said that instructions were issued not to cook in such institutions. In other schools too, they have been asked to take all precautions while cooking.

She also asked them to take action, including shifting, with regard to schools which were in a dilapidated condition, highly congested, having narrow staircases and single exits.

She said the district authorities had been asked to submit consolidated reports to the Government within 15 days, following which a high-level review meeting would be held here in the first week of August and further action initiated. In the wake of the Kumbakonam accident, many parents had expressed anxiety and wanted to know the action being taken by the Government, she added.

The Minister told officials to take up immediate repairs of buildings wherever needed as funds were at their disposal.

She said that a large number of schools were allowed to add higher classes without permission by the previous regime and the Government had now asked the DEOs to inspect them and submit reports. Based on the reports, notices would be issued to the schools and action taken if they failed to comply with the measures suggested, she warned.

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