Wall collapse triggers war of words between DDMA,Modern School

A portion of the boundary wall of Modern School on Barakhamba Road collapsed on Wednesday morning, prompting the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to issue a showcause notice to the school's principal to appear before the Additional District Magistrate on August 27.

The collapse of the wall on the Todarmal Road side of the school was reported by the New Delhi Disaster Control Cell around 9 am on Wednesday. While no one was injured, the windshield of a car belonging to a local resident, was damaged.

According to the report of the DDMA, two electric poles got tilted after the wall collapsed.

The notice issued by ADM Bansh Raj — who is also the CEO of the New Delhi DDMA — says that another notice dated May 16 was issued to the school "to prepare and furnish a disaster management plan of the school and also to nominate responsible teachers as in charge of the disaster management cell, who shall be given training in first aid by the DDMA".

"On Wednesday, around 8 am, one section of the boundary wall of your school collapsed, posing serious threat to the life and security of both students and the general public... The above-mentioned facts reflect your negligence and lack of seriousness in ensuring the security and safety of students and the public," the notice said.

While the DDMA claims it got no response from Modern School on this notice, school principal Lata Vaidyanathan told Newsline that a "wall collapse was not equivalent to a disaster".

"We have already submitted all the requisite documents. Disaster would be something like a terrorist attack or an earthquake. The said portion of the wall is built around an old tree, the roots of which might have caused the wall to collapse," Vaidyanathan said.

... contd.

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