
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday directed the State Disaster Management Authority to submit details of all school and hospital buildings that require repair or demolition.
The chief minister, at a high-level meeting held here, instructed officials to furnish the information within two weeks, said a press release.
He also ordered safety inspections of buildings housing unaided schools, it added.
The directives follow a series of incidents last month, including the death of a 52-year-old woman after a portion of the toilet complex at the Kottayam Medical College collapsed, and the electrocution of a 13-year-old student at an aided school in Kollam district.
Additionally, a portion of the roof at a government upper primary school in Karthikappally, Alappuzha district, collapsed. As the incident occurred on a Sunday, no injuries were reported.
Ministers K Rajan, K N Balagopal, V Sivankutty, P A Mohamed Riyas, and Veena George, along with the Chief Secretary Jayathilak and district collectors, attended the meeting.
The chief minister directed officials to submit the details of buildings needing repair and those requiring demolition separately.
He said demolitions should be carried out on holidays, and alternative arrangements for conducting classes should be made by local bodies, parent-teacher associations, and the education department until new buildings are constructed.
Vijayan also announced the development of a software platform to record details of public buildings deemed unsafe. He further called for the establishment of an inspection mechanism for electrical safety, it further stated.