CONCERN OVER WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS
Bhubaneswar: Students of the Satyasai Sevashram School at Khandagiri here had a narrow escape after a chunk of plaster fell from the roof of the building on Saturday.
The incident took place just after classes commenced, sparking panic among students and teachers.
Though no one was injured in the incident, enraged parents staged a protest in front of the school and blocked the road outside for several hours. "A similar incident had occurred a few days ago," said Shanti Jena, a parent.
She said the school authorities were putting the lives of children at stake. "We send our children to the school to get educated. They are putting their lives at risk."
The two-metre-long chunk of plaster fell off the ceiling in the school corridor while the students were inside the classroom. "We were reciting from a text when we heard a loud thud," said a student.
Sources said the primary school had an estimated strength of around 150 students. However, around 60 of them were present at the time of the incident.
Soon after the incident, cluster resource centre co-ordinator Ankita Mohapatra rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. "We have sent a letter to senior officials to take up repairs," said Mohapatra.
Mohapatra said the school building was vacated and temporary classes would be held at the Mother's Public School, located a few metres away. "We have taken the space and will hold classes there till the repair work is completed," she said.
Sources said the building, which owned by the school and mass education department, had been built in 1992. Several parts of the building are in a dilapidated state because of its old age.
The school and mass education department, along with the works department, has decided to conduct a survey of all school buildings to check their structural stability after reports of several such incidents poured in from various parts of the state.
The state has 35,928 primary and 20,427 upper primary schools with 66 lakh enrolled students.
The survey will "include natural calamites, man-made or both structural hazards such as dilapidated buildings, poorly designed structures, faulty construction, poorly maintained infrastructure, loose building elements and so on", reads the communication to the works department. The department has also mentioned non-structural hazards such as loosely placed heavy objects such as almirah, infestation of school premises by snakes or any other animals, broken or without boundary walls, uneven flooring and so on. All existing and new schools need to confirm to the safety standards, the letter said.
"Students' safety is our top priority. All school buildings will be surveyed and necessary repairs taken up," said a senior official of the school and mass education department.
AIIMS trauma centre
The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday decided to dismantle the wall in the emergency and trauma care building that had developed cracks last week after recommendation from the central public works department and experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar.
The authorities have decided to replace it with a wall made of lightweight autoclaved aerated concrete blocks resting on plinth beams.
They have also decided to replace the existing floor with reinforced concrete resting on the plinth beam.
On August 8, around 50 patients of the emergency and trauma building had to be shifted after huge cracks were found in the wall.
"The emergency and trauma unit is an annexe building. The hospital operations are going on smoothly. We have not settled the final amount with the contractor yet. We will do a third party inspection of the entire building after which the payment will be made," said an AIIMS administrator.
