Wall of govt school collapses at Sunet

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 20

A major tragedy was averted when a portion of the boundary wall of Government High School, Sunet, collapsed at 3 am on Sunday. The school building houses both primary and high school.

Residents living nearby the school complained that the material used for making the boundary wall was of low quality that resulted in its collapse. A car parked close to the wall was damaged.

Roshan Singh, a resident, said: “We woke up at 3 am on hearing the loud sound of wall collapse. Upon reaching there, I found my car buried under the debris. The foundation of the wall was weak. It could have happened during the day hours. Children often play near the boundary wall. Many a time, schoolchildren were seen scaling the wall.”

Paramjit singh, another resident, said: “There were no pillars that are built to give support to a wall. We asked the watchman of the school to call up the principal, but no one turned up. About 15 years ago, a child died while climbing the electric fence that was installed here prior to the construction of the wall. It was Sunday and the incident occurred early morning, otherwise there could have been fatalities.”

Meanwhile, Principal of Government High School, Sunet, Manju Balla said: “The watchman informed us about the wall collapse early in the morning. There is a residential area at the back of the wall. Residents park their vehicles close to the wall. The wall collapsed on its own and there is no specific reason for it. We will call the SMC and look into the matter tomorrow.” The school was built in 1965 and the boundary wall was built years after its establishment, she said.