Bengaluru: The Karnataka Lokayukta has taken suo motu cognisance of the collapse of a portion of the roof of a government school in Mugulolli Tanda of Bagalkot taluk, where eight students were injured while classes were in progress.
Lokayukta Justice B.S. Patil initiated the proceedings on September 3 based on media reports about the incident and issued notices to senior officials of the School Education and Literacy Department, including the Additional Chief Secretary, Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of the department.
Reportedly, the notices have also been issued to the Bagalkot Deputy Commissioner, Chief Executive Officer of the Bagalkot Zilla Panchayat, Deputy Director of Public Instruction and the concerned Block Education Officer.
The Lokayukta has directed the officials concerned to appear in person before the authority by October 7 and submit a report on the circumstances that led to the roof collapse and the measures taken following the incident.
The Lokayukta police have also been directed to conduct a safety audit of government schools across Bagalkot district. The exercise will cover the structural condition of school buildings, compliance with safety standards and the availability of basic infrastructure. The police have been asked to submit a detailed report following the inspection.
The action comes days after a portion of the roof of a classroom at the government school in Mugulolli Tanda collapsed on September 2 while students were attending classes. Eight children sustained injuries and were taken to the district hospital for treatment. According to the district administration, all eight students were subsequently discharged.
The incident has also triggered departmental action against officials responsible for the upkeep and safety certification of the school building.
The school’s in-charge head teacher, C.B. Helavar, was suspended by Deputy Director of School Education R.S. Sitaramu. The suspension was ordered under Rule 10(1) of the Karnataka Civil Services Rules, 1957, following allegations of dereliction of duty.
Officials said the classroom roof was under repair, but the matter had not been brought to the notice of the education department. The head teacher was held responsible for failing to ensure that the necessary precautions were taken while the building was undergoing repair.
The Panchayat Raj Engineering Department has also faced action. Assistant Executive Engineer S.M. Revadi and Junior Engineer S.M. Sanganal were suspended by Bagalkot Zilla Panchayat CEO Gajanan Bale for allegedly failing to properly certify the fitness of the school building.
In addition, show-cause notices have been issued to the DDPI, BEO and Taluk Panchayat Executive Officer seeking explanations on their respective roles and responsibilities.
The district administration has announced a series of immediate and long-term measures to prevent a recurrence. As an immediate safety measure, students of Classes 4 to 6 are being shifted to a Karnataka Public School located around 1.5 km from the affected school. The education department will bear the transportation expenses of the students.
Students from Classes 1 to 3 will continue their studies in classrooms considered safe at the Mugulolli LT School. The administration has also decided to construct four new classrooms at the school. Two classrooms will be built through the Education Department, while the remaining two will be constructed under the VBGRAMG scheme.
The administration has further ordered a comprehensive structural reassessment of all 9,449 classrooms in Bagalkot district. The exercise is expected to be completed within a month and will involve the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department and Public Works Department, along with third-party inspections.
An emergency meeting was held on September 3 involving officials from the PWD, PRED, Rural Water Supply department and all BEOs to review the overall safety of school campuses. The discussions covered structural safety, drinking water facilities and the availability of safe classroom environments for students.
The district administration has also directed HESCOM to immediately identify and remove high-tension electricity lines passing over or through school campuses across the district. Officials have been asked to treat the safety and well-being of students as a priority while undertaking the exercise.
The roof collapse has raised questions over the effectiveness of the building safety inspections conducted before the reopening of schools. The administration had earlier assessed the condition of school buildings across the district, with 628 buildings reportedly identified as unfit.
The fact that the Mugulolli Tanda school was not included among the identified unfit buildings has added to concerns over the quality of structural assessments and certification procedures.
