The Rajasthan High Court on Monday expressed serious concern over the condition of government buildings in the state, asking pointedly why some were collapsing while others were catching fire.
A division bench of Justices Mahendra Kumar Goyal and Ashok Kumar Jain made the observation while hearing a case concerning the collapse of a government school building in Jhalawar in July, which resulted in the death of seven students.
The court’s remarks came just hours after a devastating fire broke out at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital on Sunday night, killing six patients admitted to the ICU.
“What is happening to government buildings? Some are collapsing, others are catching fire,” the bench asked during the hearing.
The court directed the state government to submit a comprehensive safety roadmap by October 9, with a particular focus on school buildings, to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Advocate General Rajendra Prasad informed the bench that students from unsafe school buildings have already been shifted to other locations. He added that funds have been sanctioned for the repair and reconstruction of such buildings.
