Gurugram orders audit after roof slab collapses at girls’ school in Bhondsi

Officials found inadequate concrete strength, insufficient slab thickness and substandard materials during a preliminary site inspection.

The Gurugram district education department has ordered a structural audit and sent a notice to the contractor after a part of the roof slab of Bhondsi Senior Secondary Girls’ School collapsed on Sunday, officials said on Wednesday.

Following the incident, district project coordinator (Samagra Shiksha) Sudesh Raghav inspected the site and sought an explanation from the contractor. “The contractor was sent a notice on Monday, and a preliminary report was sent to state authorities, who have now ordered NIT Kurukshetra to conduct an audit of the school,” he said.

No timeline has been fixed for the structural audit. The district project coordinator has written to NIT Kurukshetra, which will decide the date and time of its site visit.

The district project coordinator said the cost of the project and the sanctioned budget could not be confirmed at this stage. The exact area of the collapsed portion is also yet to be ascertained, with only a part of the roof slab having collapsed. Construction work has been halted and will remain suspended until the structural audit is completed, officials said.

According to department officials, the roof of the new block under construction was built in two phases. While the first portion was constructed in March after due inspection and permission, the contractor allegedly did not seek approval from the junior engineer and the sub-divisional officer (SDO) before constructing the second half.

During his inspection, Raghav found flaws in the roof slab’s construction, including inadequate concrete strength, insufficient thickness and the use of poor-quality materials that did not meet engineering standards.

The incident took place on Sunday when villagers visited the site over concerns regarding the quality of construction. They noticed cracks in the structure and tapped the roof slab a few times, after which it collapsed, a senior education officer told HT.

No one was injured. The girl students had earlier been shifted to the Bhondsi Senior Boys’ School after construction work began last year. Raghav told HT further action will be taken based on the inspection and laboratory reports submitted by the testing agency.