Chandrapur: AAP flags shoddy Nehru school construction, collector orders probe in 3 days
AAP delegation tells Chandrapur collector that construction of a new Nehru school building is substandard, prompting an order for a three-day PWD inquiry.
The Aam Aadmi Party has raised serious allegations over the construction of the new building of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru School in Indiranagar, within the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation area. According to the party, the construction work is of extremely poor quality. A delegation of AAP members met the district collector over the matter and submitted a detailed representation.
Taking note of the representation, the collector gave a clear directive to the Public Works Department (PWD) to conduct a thorough inquiry and submit a report within three days. The administration has also assured that the concerned work will be stopped immediately and that a structural audit of the building will be carried out.
The new building is being constructed with funds of about 3.54 crore rupees, and a direct inspection has raised several questions about the quality of the work. Poor and hardworking parents in the area send their children to this very school in the hope of a safe future, so no compromise will be tolerated in a matter concerning students' safety, the party said.
In its representation to the administration, AAP demanded that the ongoing construction be stopped immediately and a structural audit be carried out by independent and competent expert engineers. It also urged a technical inspection of the building's columns, beams, slabs, foundation and RCC work, along with testing of samples of the cement, sand, aggregate and concrete used in construction at an authorised laboratory.
The party also demanded that it be verified whether the work actually matches the sanctioned budget, the BOQ and the plans, that strict action be taken against the contractor and the engineers responsible if it does not, that no bill be paid until the inquiry is complete, and that the report be made public.
"Spending government money is not enough by itself, it must result in a safe and good-quality building. It is better to check the quality today than to investigate after an accident happens tomorrow, and that is the administration's first responsibility," said AAP organisation secretary Santosh Bopche.
The party warned that the administration's assurance must not remain only on paper and that the work must actually be stopped and the inquiry begun, or else it would launch an intense democratic agitation involving parents and citizens for the safety of students. AAP state secretary Sunil Musale, district president Mayur Raikwar, city president Yogesh Gokhare and organisation secretary Santosh Bopche, along with other party office-bearers, were present when the representation was submitted.
