Bhatti visits Peddapur residential school, says Govt. anguished over death of two students
Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu on Tuesday said the entire State Cabinet was shocked and anguished over the death of two students of Peddapur Residential School in Metpalli mandal of Jagityal district.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who visited the residential school to know the reasons for the death as well as about four students who became ill, later addressing media, said an inquiry would be ordered soon after the government received the postmortem report of the students.
After the neglect of residential schools by the previous government in the last 10 years, the Congress government gave special focus on education and health in this annual budget and allocated funds on a big scale.
An amount of Rs.5,000 crore was allocated for the construction of residential school buildings in this budget. Clear instructions were given in the Collectors’ conference to send proposals for required funds to construct buildings for residential schools that have no pucca buildings and also to acquire sites for the residential schools.
A committee of officials will be constituted to increase diet charges in line with the price rise of essential commodities. The diet charges will be increased after the committee gives its report.
Expressing anguish over the death of students in Peddapur School, Bhatti described it as an unfortunate incident.
Assuring all help to the parents of the deceased students, he said apart from ex-gratia, the members in the affected families will be given jobs under the outsourcing method in Gurukula Society as per their educational qualifications.
He instructed the district Collector to sanction Rs 5 lakh under the Indiramma Housing scheme if the affected families have no house. As an immediate action, the State government sanctioned Rs.50 lakh for cleaning up the residential school premises without stagnant water and for improving hygiene and construction of toilets and other facilities.
He also said funds would be released without delay once they received proposals for construction of pucca buildings, dormitory, dining halls in accordance with the strength of students. Earlier after enquiring the reasons for the death of two students and also four students who took ill, he spoke to parents and consoled them.
“Our government has the responsibility to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future in the State. Hence, I directly reached the school to know what actually has happened”, Bhatti said, stating that all residential schools in the State would be revamped and required funds would be provided.
Bhatti said though funds were sanctioned in 2020-21 for the construction of a school building in 12 acre Peddapur campus, but the amount was not released. The contractor stopped the work midway as funds were not released. But the Congress government was ready to release funds, he asserted and gave instructions to the district Collector to get the compound wall constructed around Peddapur residential school.
Bhatti said the system of doctors checking the health of students in government schools prevalent from 2004 to 2014 should be revived again. The paramedical staff used to stay at government hostels. He instructed the residential schools secretary to make emergency medicines, paramedical staff, medicines for dog and snake bites, available.
The quality of food and hygiene be monitored in every hostel and proposals for bed linen required for every student in hostels be sent. Bhatti said the government decided that one day in every month Ministers, MLAs and MLCs should visit residential schools and have food along with students.
