Tamil Nadu - Vellore   

Collector inspects schools

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE, JULY 19. The Vellore Collector, S. Gopalakrishnan, inspected the Sri Ramanujam Aided Middle School at Saidapet here and ordered the removal of the inflammable `manjampul' (yellow grass) roofs in three classrooms. He stayed to see the roof removed. He instructed the school authorities to provide a non-flammable roof and provide a separate, wide emergency exit. Earlier, he visited the Siddhartha Senior Secondary School on New Bypass Road. He directed the authorities to there remove the false ceiling provided in the auditorium. He valso isited the Majestic English Medium School, Shenbakkam, which had no inflammable roof.

The inspection followed the directive of the Chief Minister to take up an intensive inspection of all schools between July 19 and 23.

Talking to newspersons, the Collector said 56 committees had been formed to inspect all schools. The school authorities would also be instructed not to conduct classes under thatched roofs until they were replaced with non-flammable materials.

All the committees had been asked to complete their inspections by Friday and submit their reports to the Collector.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that the schools would be advised to keep fire extinguishers, and ensure that a wide passage was provided for the students to move about freely. The authorities would also check whether each school had an approved building plan and the structures conformed to the plan. Wherever the kitchens of noon meal centres were functioning under thatched roofs or other inflammable roofs, instructions would be given to the authorities to have them replaced. For schools functioning only with thatched classrooms, alternative arrangements would be made to accommodate the children of such schools.

D. Rajendran, deputy director (secondary education), who will inspect the schools in the district, said he would convene a meeting of education officials and headmasters to review fire safety arrangements in schools.

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