A major disaster was narrowly averted at the upper primary school located in the Sattu Devki village panchayat under the Dowda block of Rajasthan's Dungarpur district. While regular classes were underway and children along with teachers were busy inside, the roof of an old, unused room suddenly caved in. At the time of the incident, nearly 120 students were inside the school premises for their daily studies. The loud crash of the falling roof sent shockwaves through the campus, creating an atmosphere of panic and chaos as teachers and children rushed out of their classrooms into the open.
Dilapidated Room Was Kept Locked
It was soon discovered that the room whose roof collapsed had been in a severely dilapidated condition for a long time. Due to safety concerns, the school management had kept that particular room locked and completely out of bounds. Because of this precaution, no children were seated inside that room, preventing a major casualty. The incident occurred on a Tuesday while classes were operating normally. Approximately 120 students study at the Sattu Devki upper primary school. Teachers were conducting lessons when the loud crash echoed, prompting everyone to step outside and discover that the entire roof of one of the two weak rooms had completely collapsed.
Officials Inspect the Incident Site
According to the school management, out of the 10 total rooms in the building, two rooms had been in a ruined state for a prolonged period. These rooms had been declared unsafe and their use had been entirely suspended for about a year. No classes were being conducted in them. This timely caution meant that despite the roof collapse, no student or teacher sustained any injuries. Following the incident, school teachers informed PEEO Pankaj Verma. Subsequently, PEEO Pankaj Verma and CBEO Deepak Shah rushed to the spot to evaluate the situation. The officials inspected the damaged structures and gathered details from the school management.
Proposals Sent for New Roof Construction
CBEO Deepak Shah stated that the roof of another room in the school is also in a fragile state. Proposals for constructing a new roof for it have already been submitted to the authorities. Once these proposals receive approval, repair work on the rooms will be undertaken promptly. For now, the use of the damaged rooms remains restricted to ensure that student safety is never compromised. Following the incident, the children, teachers, and staff breathed a sigh of relief. However, the collapse has once again highlighted the urgent need for safety audits and timely maintenance of school buildings.
