Nearly a year after a third party inspection team pointed out to the poor quality construction works of high school classroom buildings built under the Rastriya Madhyamik Shikshana Abhiyan (RMSA) in Dakshina Kannada, its State Project office has now reportedly directed the Bengaluru-based construction firm to carry out the repairs forthwith.
Following complaints on the poor quality of new classroom buildings, laboratories, and toilets during two meetings at the zilla panchayat, the then ZP Chief Executive Officer P.I. Sreevidya had ordered a third party inspection of 61 works carried out by KBR Infrastructure Ltd., Bengaluru. Panchayat Raj Department’s Engineering Division was asked to submit the report.
The RMSA State Project Office had issued the work order for ₹26.5 crore to the firm, which started the work in 2013.
Apart from construction of new classrooms in 61 schools, the firm was asked to build new buildings for secondary schools in four places.
While problems were related to the 61 classroom works, there were no complaints about the new buildings.
Panchayat Raj Engineering Division’s Executive Engineer gathered information of the 61 works and submitted a report to Ms. Sreevidya on January 30, 2017. In the report, the Executive Engineer pointed out that works of 19 schools were of very poor quality.
The common complaint in these 19 buildings was leakage of the roof. In addition, there were complaints of poor flooring work in Government Schools in Benjanpadavu, Kavala Peduru Vagga, Biliyuru Madattaru, and Kolnadu Kadumatha in Bantwal; Perla Baipady in Belthangady; Talapady in Mangaluru; Daregudde village in Moodbidri; and four schools in Puttur taluk.
A school in Narsha Maidan in Bantwal was found to have poor quality doors and windows.Ms. Sreevidya sent the report to the State Project Office of the abhiyan. This was followed by reminders seeking action. Following uproar in the ZP general body meeting in November third week, the present ZP CEO M.R. Ravi wrote a letter to the RMSA State Project Officer on November 22.
A three-member team from the RMSA State Project office visited the 19 places for three days from December 14 and have reportedly ordered the Bengaluru construction agency to carry out repair works forthwith. “The firm has repaired the poor flooring work in Perla Baipady,” said Deputy Director of Public Instruction Y. Shivaramaiah.
Mr. Ravi hoped that the firm will attend to other problems at the earliest.
