Use of sub standard material in school building irks court

Shimla, Nov 19 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered a fresh probe in the use of sub standard material in the construction of a school building and said the inquiry should be conducted by an officer not below the rank of PWD's Chief Engineer.

The court ordered laboratory testing of the material used in the construction of the school and said the report should be submitted to it before March 31, next year.

The orders were passed on a PIL by an NGO, Research and Welfare Organisation (RWO), which said that since the four-year old school building of Government Middle School Arki in Solan district of the state had developed cracks, it should be declared unsafe.

It said as the building had developed serious cracks and defects due to sub-standard material used in construction, it should not be a part of the school building.

The court also took serious view of the earlier inquiry conducted by the Rural Development Department's Executive Engineer and said the report was nothing more than an attempt to shield the errant officers.

UNI