Delhi: Education dept writes to PWD over poor quality construction of schools

The directorate of education (DoE) has alleged that non-completion of work, use of low-quality material, and various deficiencies in the construction of government schools by the Public Works Department (PWD) in Delhi have hampered the functioning of the schools, officials said on Thursday.

The directorate of education (DoE) has alleged that non-completion of work, use of low-quality material, and various deficiencies in the construction of government schools by the Public Works Department (PWD) in Delhi have hampered the functioning of the schools, officials said on Thursday.

Delhi schools  (File Photo)

On July 20, the section officer (land and estate) of the directorate of education (DoE) wrote to the chief engineer (projects), PWD, informing him that education was a priority for the Delhi government, which wanted to bring about qualitative changes in the system by providing better infrastructure and academic facilities. However, shortcomings on the part of PWD were hampering the smooth running of schools, the letter said.

“A number of complaints have been received from various schools regarding non-completion of work, use of low-quality material, and various deficiencies in the construction by PWD. These shortcomings hamper the very purpose of the Directorate of Education,” wrote the section officer (land and estate).

The DoE submitted a list of over 15 complaints it had received from various schools--including corruption allegations, delay in initiating work, use of low-quality material and slow pace of construction work, leakage, poor sanitation, incomplete sewage lines, and non-initiation of CCTV camera installation work --to the PWD and sought the agency’s comments.

The PWD did not comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Delhi government said that the deputy chief minister, PWD minister and senior officials of both the departments had been regularly inspecting different schools to check the progress of construction. Following complaints from schools, the DoE had written to the PWD.

“In the second phase of the construction programme, 12,000 classrooms were built in about 240 schools. During the course of inspections, deputy CM had instructed the heads of concerned schools to point out any shortcomings in the construction before taking over the possession of new buildings. On the deputy CM’s instructions, the education department has written to PWD, so that the deficiencies, if any, can be removed. This letter is part of this exercise,” said the spokesperson.