CM Rekha Gupta directs audit of Delhi govt schools; finds lack of facilities during surprise visit

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday directed an audit of Delhi government schools to assess the structural strength of buildings, fire safety preparedness and basic facilities like drinking water and toilets. The chief minister said the structural audit would help assess the actual condition of infrastructure and essential facilities across all government schools.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday directed an audit of Delhi government schools to assess the structural strength of buildings, fire safety preparedness and basic facilities like drinking water and toilets. During a surprise morning inspection of a Government Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Roop Nagar, Gupta pulled up the school authorities after noticing various shortcomings. ''The officials have received clear instructions that no negligence will be tolerated regarding students' safety and basic facilities,'' she posted on X after visiting the school. She said a detailed list of necessary improvement works has been sought from the school administration. The statement said that during the interaction, students informed Gupta that the school lacked proper access to clean drinking water, water coolers and RO systems were non-functional, forcing many to drink tap water directly. They also complained about the poor condition of toilets, noting that several doors were broken, regular cleaning was not carried out, and the water supply remained inconsistent, the statement said. Students also raised the issue of ''shortage of teachers''. The chief minister found that the school's fire safety system was also non-functional, the CMO statement said. Expressing displeasure over the lapses, she reprimanded officials. She said negligence related to children's safety would not be tolerated under any circumstances, directing the departments to fix safety-related shortcomings immediately. Directing the audit of government schools, she said the exercise will cover structural stability, drinking water arrangements, sanitation, hygiene and fire-safety preparedness. Delhi CMO said concerned departments have been informed. She said in the statement that Delhi has 700 schools, and many buildings are around 40 to 50 years old and have become ''dilapidated''. The chief minister said the structural audit would help assess the actual condition of infrastructure and essential facilities across all government schools. Gupta also criticised the previous AAP government in Delhi, saying while its education model was ''heavily promoted,'' essential ground-level issues remained unaddressed.