ISTOCK
Two days after a portion of the Piplodi Government School in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district collapsed, killing seven children, the state government on Sunday announced a series of urgent measures, including closure and demolition of unsafe school buildings, GIS-mapping of all vulnerable structures, and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor structural safety.
School Education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar, who chaired an emergency meeting with senior officials from both the departments, said a proposal of Rs 150 crore under the disaster management fund has been prepared for repair works in 7,500 schools across 170 tehsils, officials said.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of school infrastructure, especially during the monsoon season in southeastern Rajasthan.
Dilawar said a statewide survey is being conducted by the district collectors to identify the dilapidated school buildings.
“Buildings found to be structurally unsafe will be marked with a red cross and shut down immediately. These will be demolished on priority, and temporary classrooms using container units will be arranged as an interim solution," Dilawar said.
In a statement, the minister said the state will create a GIS-based application linked to the Shala Darpan portal to catalogue all dilapidated and repairable buildings. The platform will also integrate AI-based monitoring to assess building safety and guide budget allocations.