Photos: PTI and AP

PRICE OF NEGLECT: This photograph shows the damaged hostel at Chicherpura village in Surat district.

AHMEDABAD : The death toll in Friday's collapse of a hostel building of a tribal girls school at Chicherpura village in Surat district has gone up to 11. The condition of some of the 14 injured, admitted to hospitals in Vyara and Surat, is said to be critical.

Collector Vatsala Vasudeva said the rescue operation had ended and the debris was removed. There was no possibility of further increase in casualties.

Night-long rescue

Education Minister Anandiben Patel, who personally supervised the night-long rescue operation, said at least one of the injured was fighting for her life.

The four-storey building, which housed the hostel for students of the State Government-run residential school and an affiliated primary teacher training centre, collapsed apparently because of poor construction. The hostel had 332 students, but at the time of the incident there were only about 150 girls.

Official sources confirmed that the building had been in a "shaky" condition for some time and principal Ramesh Chaudhary had written to the Government at least four times in the last one year.

The Minister confirmed having received the complaint and said the Government was preparing "estimates and other details for the renovation of the building."

Photos: PTI and AP

PRICE OF NEGLECT: This photograph shows the damaged hostel at Chicherpura village in Surat district.

Contractor absconding?

The construction of the main school building and the hostel started in 1980, but it took 14 years for completion because of disputes with contractors. The work was completed in 1995 by a Surat-based contractor, who is said to be absconding.

Compensation

Ms. Patel announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh from the Chief Minister's relief fund and Rs. 50,000 from the Government's "Vidyanidhi" scheme to each of the families of those killed and Rs. 25,000 each to the injured. The hostel inmates would immediately be shifted to another building and stern action taken against those guilty of sub-standard construction, she said.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi, now on a visit of Andhra Pradesh, has ordered an inquiry by the Surat Engineering College and the Gujarat Engineering Research Institute. The construction experts of the two institutions have been asked to submit reports within a month.

Trading charges

In a television interview, he blamed the Congress for giving "approval" for the sub-standard building when it was in power in 1994. State Congress spokesman Shaktisinh Gohil pointed out that the construction up to the plinth level was completed by 1991, when the BJP was sharing power with the Janata Dal. "It collapsed because of the weak foundation, which was laid during the BJP regime," he said.

The Gujarat Adivasi Mahasabha, an organisation of tribals active in south Gujarat, has demanded a judicial inquiry and immediate action against the contractor.

Lathicharge

The police resorted to a mild lathicharge when local people gathered to watch the rescue operations and raised slogans against the Government.

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