Reserve price ‘not fixed’, unsafe school buildings pose threat

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, December 10

The delay in fixing the reserve price for the auction of unsafe buildings of government schools in the district has left the local education authorities high and dry, as they are unable to demand budget for the construction of new buildings without demolishing the existing ones.

Sources say District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) Surendra Chauhan has sent a reminder to Virender Malik, Executive Engineer (XEN), Public Works Department (B&R), Jhajjar, urging him to fix the reserve price for demolishing unsafe buildings at the earliest.

The buildings of 11 middle and primary schools in Buravaas, Niwada, Mohanbari, Dighal, Beri, Lakaria, Wazirpur and Paharipur villages in the district were declared unsafe several months ago, but these were yet to be auctioned off, the sources said, adding that the buildings of several government senior secondary schools have also been declared unsafe.

Chauhan told The Tribune it was the XEN’s duty to fix the reserve price, but slackness on his part had led to the delay.

“Several reminders have been sent to the PWD during the past three months, but to no avail. No class is conducted in the unsafe buildings,” he said.

The DEEO said a list of 24 government primary and middle schools in the district had been sent to the PWD for declaring the building unsafe. “Of the 24 schools, seven are located in Bahadurgarh, six in Jhajjar and Beri each, three in Matanhail and two in Salhavaas block,” he added.

Malik, XEN, claimed the reserve price of most of the unsafe buildings had been fixed, while the process was on for the remaining ones. “I have again sought details of all unsafe buildings of government schools from the education authorities,” he added.