4 students injured as window’s steel part of unsafe school building fell on themSchool building was earlier declared unsafe:

GNS ONLINE RAJOURI 
SHYAM SOOD

200 plus students enrolled while school has only 3 classrooms: Sarpanch.
Funds sanctioned for additional classrooms lapsed twice as people refused to provide land: ZEO.

RAJOURI, MAY 15:–Students in a classroom of government middle school (GMS) at Dandote in Kotrnaka sub-division of Rajouri district had a miraculous escape when a large steel part of a window fell on the students due to the dilapidated condition of the school building.
Four students received injuries and were shifted to Community Health Center (CHC) at Koteraka.
The students have been identified as Arif Hussain (7th class); Wasim Hussain, Raya Devi & Rashid Ali (all 6th class students).
It is pertinent to mention here that the school building was declared unsafe a few years back, but due to the callous approach of the concerned authorities teachers were forced to hold classes in the unsafe building.
Manzoor Naik, prominent and senior BJP leader from Budhal Assembly Segment said that GMS Dandote was started in the year 1958 as basic activities school, and in the year 2008 it was upgraded as a middle school.
“Unfortunately, due to the callous approach of the concerned education department, students are suffering miserably as the school building is in dilapidated condition and about to collapse. This has been brought to the notice of the concerned department several times, but officials failed to resolve the genuine issue and today several students were injured due to the falling of a steel window of one classroom,” said Naik.
When the mishap took place, every concerned official/officer woke up and are talking about action in this matter.
“For more than 200 students there are only three classrooms and one office room. The entire building has been declared unsafe in the past, but the authorities concerned didn’t pay any heed to our repeated concern about the urgent repairs of the building for the safety of the children,” said Sarpanch.

A local said that the contractor had used sub-standard material in the construction work in nexus with concerned officials.
Alaf Din, Zonal Education officer (ZEO), who rushed to the school on the direction of the higher authorities, also admitted that the existing school building is in a dilapidated condition and was declared unsafe.
“In the past, the department has sanctioned Rs 14 lakh funds for the construction of additional classrooms and Rs 5 lakh for the construction of a boundary wall. But the funds lapsed twice as people refused to provide additional land” said ZEO.
He further added, in a fresh proposal Rs 20 lakh has been sought for the construction of additional classrooms, but the problem of land availability for the construction of additional rooms still prevails.
Meanwhile, Chief Education Officer (CEO), Sultana Koser has constituted a -3 member committee to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the incident of GMS Dandote and asked to furnish a detailed report along with personnel comments to proceed further in the matter.
The members include Principal, Mussarat Hussain Shah (HSS Trala); Principal, Roop Lal (HSS Kandi) & Lecturer, Rajesh Kumar Modi (BHSS Rajouri).
“In consultation with the members of Panchayat, it has been decided to shift the school to nearby Panchyat Ghar till any decision is taken for the construction of a new school building,” said ZEO.
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