“The MCD authorities are not only responsible for endangering the lives of little children but also have serious criminal liability for any untoward incident that can happen anytime in any of these buildings,” states the notice.Terming the conditions in four schools under the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) as “pathetic, unsafe and deeply disturbing”, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the Municipal Commissioner directing that action be taken immediately and that explanations be issued.
In its notice, the DCW stated that it instituted an inquiry into the safety of girls in primary schools in Delhi “upon receiving complaints” and inspected four schools — in Aruna Nagar, Kewal Park, Mustafabad and Bhati Mines.
The DCW flagged 15 issues it came across in these schools: lack of security guards, dilapidated and unsafe buildings, criminal activities occurring inside the campus, lack of CCTV cameras, lack of mid-day meals, missing teachers, lack of hygiene, unsanitary toilets, broken furniture, lack of proper drinking water, missing boundary wall, overcrowding of classes, lack of counsellors, lack of proper grounds and sports facilities, and poorly lit corridors.
It stated that at the school in Kewal Nagar it found “used syringes (drugs), cigarette boxes, gutkha wrappers and even broken alcohol bottles inside its premises” and stated that “the blatant misuse of the school’s grounds for anti-social activities reflects the dangers faced by the students studying in this school” and said the Delhi Police should file an FIR in the matter.
Best of Express Premium
It stated that three of the four schools were in unsafe buildings and that the school in Kewal Park even had a board installed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation asking people to “maintain distance” because the ceiling of the building was damaged.
“The MCD authorities are not only responsible for endangering the lives of little children but also have serious criminal liability for any untoward incident that can happen anytime in any of these buildings,” states the notice.
It has directed the commissioner to provide an action-taken report on each of its listed observations with a timeline for resolution of the issues, details of officials responsible and action taken against them, and details of visits and inspections made by commissioners and officials to the four schools since January 1, 2017. It has also sought “a detailed explanation on why no action was taken to remedy these critical issues till date.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
