Bhilwara: As many as 116 govt school buildings in Bhilwara district were found unsafe in a technical verification carried out after last year’s Jhalawar school building accident, with 68 of them already demolished and new construction underway at several sites. The verification was conducted on the state govt’s instructions during a physical assessment of school buildings following the Jhalawar incident during the monsoon. Officials assessed buildings housing primary, upper primary, secondary and senior secondary schools. Bhilwara Samagra Shiksha Additional District Project Coordinator Dr Kalpana Sharma said an initial survey by technical officials had identified 189 buildings as dilapidated. A district-level committee headed by Collector Jasmeet Singh Sandhu subsequently constituted a team including PWD officials to cross-check the findings. The technical team found 116 buildings to be in poor condition. Of these, 99 were elementary education buildings, while 17 belonged to secondary education. “After the accident in Jhalawar district last year, on the instructions of the state govt, verification of govt school buildings being run in the district was conducted by the technical officers of the education department,” Sharma said. The education department has issued orders for demolition of the unsafe structures. Arrangements have been made at alternative locations for students to continue classes while demolition and reconstruction are undertaken. So far, 68 of the 116 buildings have been demolished, while the process for the remaining structures is underway. Approvals have also been secured through the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) and Samagra Shiksha for construction of new buildings at several locations. Of the 99 primary and upper primary schools, administrative approval has been issued for 12 buildings through DMFT, with proposals sent to Jaipur headquarters for technical approval. Overall, administrative approval has been granted for construction of 85 new school buildings, for which Rs 44 crore has already been approved, officials said. The remaining cases are being processed for financial and technical approvals.
