Jhalawar school collapse: Rajasthan CM tells officials to urgently repair dilapidated buildings; NHRC issues notice

NHRC notice to Rajasthan govt over Jhalawar school building collapse (Image: PTI)

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has directed urgent repairs of dilapidated government buildings, schools, and Anganwadi centres across the state, in a decision taken following the recent school building collapse in Jhalawar district that claimed seven lives.

In a move aimed at strengthening public infrastructure and preventing future tragedies, Sharma has raised the permissible allocation for repair works under the Dang, Magra, and Mewat Regional Development Schemes from 15 per cent to 20 per cent, a statement said on Saturday.

Additionally, MLAs will now be allowed to recommend up to 20 per cent of their annual allocation under the MLA Local Area Development Scheme for the repair of any government school, institution or Anganwadi building.

The chief minister appealed to all legislators to prioritise funding for the maintenance of old and dilapidated school buildings.

"Strengthening these structures is essential to avoid any untoward incidents in the future," the statement said.

The state budget for 2024-25 has allocated Rs 375 crore for the construction and repair of school buildings lacking proper infrastructure. Each assembly constituency has also been allotted Rs 3 crore specifically for repair works.

Sharma had convened a high-level meeting on Friday, instructing district collectors and department officials to immediately inspect all government buildings, including schools and hospitals, and begin necessary repair work. A committee of experts has also been tasked with submitting a report within five days.

The NHRC on Saturday said it has issued notices to the Rajasthan government and the superintendent of police of Jhalawar in the wake of collapse of a government school building in the district resulting in the death of seven students and injuries to several others.

The National Human Rights Commission has sought a detailed report in two weeks.

A regular morning, alive with the chatter of students assembling for prayers, quickly turned into tragedy on Friday when a portion of the Piplodi government school building in Jhalawar district collapsed, killing seven children and injuring over 25, some of them critically.

The NHRC, in a statement, said it has "taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a government school building collapsed resulting in the death of seven children and injuries to 28 others in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan on 25th July".

Reportedly, locals had informed the district authorities about the "dilapidated condition of the school building, but no action was taken," it said.

The commission has observed that the content of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights violation.

"Therefore, it has issued notices to the chief secretary, government of Rajasthan and the superintendent of police, Jhalawar, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks," the statement said.

The report is also expected to include the status of health of the injured students as well as compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the deceased, the rights panel said.

With inputs from PTI