Uttarakhand government orders demolition of dilapidated school buildings

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand School Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has ordered the demolition of all dilapidated school buildings in the state, a day after the ceiling of a rundown toilet at a primary school in Champawat district collapsed, killing an eight-year-old student and injuring three others.

Expressing grief over the incident, Rawat said a district-wise survey should be conducted to identify all dilapidated school buildings and ensure their demolition to prevent such incidents in future. Director, school education, Bansidhar Tiwari said he has written to all district education officers asking them to identify such buildings and demolish them immediately.

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Tiwari said the school management is to be blamed for Wednesday's incident as instructions not to use dilapidated buildings for schools are issued from time to time. He asked officials to ensure that classes are held in safe buildings only and students are kept at a safe distance from trees, electricity wires and transformers on school campus.