Student activists demand structural audits of school buildings over 25 years

Adding to the growing concerns, a recent mishap occurred at RD National College in Bandra, where a section of cement plaster from the ceiling of a chemistry laboratory fell on a student on Monday morning. The injured student was promptly attended to, and the college administration immediately closed the laboratory to initiate repair work

Mumbai: Recent structural collapse at two educational institutions in Mumbai has given rise to concerns about the safety of school and college buildings in the city. Student organisations have now demanded immediate structural audits of all educational institutes with buildings over 25 years old.

The first-floor wall of a ground-plus-two-story building belonging to the People’s Welfare School in Jogeshwari came crashing down. (HT Photo)

On Tuesday morning, around 6.45am, the first-floor wall of a ground-plus-two-story building belonging to the People’s Welfare School in Jogeshwari came crashing down. Fortunately, no one was injured, as the area was being used for storage purposes and was unoccupied at the time of the incident.

The school principal said, “The collapse was likely triggered by the heavy rainfall in the area, leading to dampness and water accumulation within the school walls. Currently, the building is safe, and necessary repair work is going on.

Adding to the growing concerns, a recent mishap occurred at RD National College in Bandra, where a section of cement plaster from the ceiling of a chemistry laboratory fell on a student on Monday morning. The injured student was promptly attended to, and the college administration immediately closed the laboratory to initiate repair work.

After these incidents, the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) demanded mandatory structural audits for all educational institutes with buildings over 25 years old.

“The education department must act by ordering schools and colleges in the city to conduct thorough structural audits. The collected reports are to be submitted to the department for further assessment,” Chetan Pednekar, the Vice President of MNVS, said.

Earlier, the MNVS had advocated for compulsory fire audits of school buildings to enhance fire safety measures.