NDMA Guidelines: Telangana High Court Seeks State's Response On Safety Measures At Govt Schools, Colleges

Telangana High Court has granted 4 weeks time to the State to file a compliance report in a PIL questioning its inaction in implementing the National Disaster Management Authority Guidelines 2016, inasmuch as providing fire and structural safety for government schools and junior colleges.

“The learned counsels for the respondents pray for and are granted four weeks’ time to enable them to file compliance report,” ordered a Division Bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti.

The claim of the petitioner was that the State has failed to implement the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the subsequent guidelines issued in 2016, by way of which, all government-run schools and junior colleges were directed to get periodic certificates of structural safety and soundness, sanitation and water purity, in addition to providing sufficient number of fire extinguishers.

The counsel on behalf of the petitioner heavily relied on the judgment rendered by the Supreme Court in Avinash Mehrotra vs. Union of India, wherein the Court had directed schools across India to implement safer school conditions, in furtherance of which, the State of Telangana passed an GO for compliance. The counsel contended that non-implementation of NDMA guidelines is in contravention of the same.

The petitioner also stated that before approaching the Court, he had approached the concerned authorities under the RTI Act, 2005 to establish for sure, whether the guidelines were being implemented, and was surprised to find out that the State was disregarding the guidelines.

“...where the down trodden lakhs of students are studying in the Government Schools and Jr. Colleges across the State of Telangana and the State and Central Government duty bound to follow the mandatory provisions of the Constitution and Statutes in providing the fire extinguishers to the Students at Large in the State of Telangana for the same the above said sample information obtained from the respondents authorities of the 4 Districts i.e., Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Ranga Reddy & Nalgonda and in a Single School and College is not being implemented the NDMA Guidelines ...which violating the law occupies in the field in protection of the right to life of Students at large those who are studying in the Government Schools and Jr. Colleges across the State,” the petition read.

The counsel for official respondents were present in Court and accepted notice on their behalf.

Case no.: W.P(PIL) 80 of 2023

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