Haryana Human Rights Commission orders structural audit of all govt schools

Haryana Human Rights Commission orders structural audit of all govt schools

Chandigarh, The Haryana Human Rights Commission has expanded the scope of proceedings initiated suo motu over the death of an 11-year-old student after the arch of the entrance gate of a government primary school in Sonipat collapsed, to examine the structural safety of all state-run schools.

Haryana Human Rights Commission orders structural audit of all govt schools

In its October 1 order, the commission directed that a structural safety audit of all government school buildings in the state be conducted and dilapidated, unsafe and hazardous buildings be identified, with timely remedial action ensured.

The commission, comprising Justice Lalit Batra, along with members Kuldeep Jain and Deep Bhatia, observed that in view of the serious concerns arising from the incident, it would not be sufficient to confine the proceedings only to the school at Garhi Balinda in Ganaur in Sonipat district.

"The commission, having regard to the serious concerns arising out of the present incident, considers it appropriate to enlarge the scope of the present proceedings so as to examine the safety and structural conditions of Government schools across the State of Haryana," according to the order.

The child was killed after the brick-concrete arch of the main gate of the school collapsed on him in Garhi Bilinda village in August.

The commission has directed the state's director general of secondary education, director of elementary education, and the state project director of Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad to undertake a comprehensive review of the structural safety of all government schools across the state.

The structural safety audit shall specifically identify school buildings or portions thereof which are dilapidated, unsafe or otherwise hazardous.

This shall include not only the school buildings but also entrance gates, arches, boundary walls, roofs and other structures that may pose a risk to the safety of students and staff.

The commission has made it clear that merely identifying unsafe buildings and submitting reports would not be sufficient. In such cases, concrete remedial measures, including repair, maintenance, barricading, demolition or reconstruction, must be undertaken.

During the hearing in the Garhi Balinda matter, the assistant commissioner of police, Ganaur, informed the commission that the investigation is in progress.

A request has already been made to the Sonipat deputy commissioner to constitute an inquiry committee to inspect the structural condition of the school building and ascertain the reasons for the collapse of the brick-concrete arch of the main entrance gate.

According to the report submitted by the block education officer of Ganaur, the school had been inspected even before the incident. While the officer inspected the school premises on May 19, 2026, a junior engineer conducted a technical inspection on May 22. Thereafter, a repair estimate of ₹5.68 lakh was prepared on June 1.

According to the report, following the incident, a fresh estimate of ₹26.05 lakh for repair and renovation of the school was prepared and submitted to the district elementary education officer of Sonipat.

The departmental enquiry report has also stated that as per the available records, the requisite administrative and procedural action had been initiated before the incident.

The commission has nevertheless directed the block education officer of Ganaur and the district elementary education officer of Sonipat to submit a further progress report indicating the latest status of the repair work of the school and the action taken pursuant to the estimates prepared in this regard.

The commission, headed by Justice Lalit Batra, emphasised that effective monitoring is essential to ascertain whether deficiencies identified earlier, assurances given and preventive measures proposed were actually implemented at the ground level.

It observed that the death of a child in an incident involving an unsafe school structure is not merely a matter requiring investigation into the immediate cause of the incident.

The commission also called for a review of the entire system of inspection, maintenance, grievance redressal, monitoring and accountability designed to protect children from foreseeable and preventable risks.

It has directed the director general of secondary education; director of elementary education; and the state project director of HSSPP to submit a consolidated report based on information received from all the district education officers across the state, Assistant Registrar of the commission, Puneet Arora, said.

All concerned authorities have been directed to submit their reports at least one week prior to the next date of hearing.

The matter will next be heard on December 8.

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