Rajasthan minister takes bulldozer action at Kota school due to substandard construction

Kota (Rajasthan), Oct 17 (PTI) Rajasthan minister Hiralal Nagar on Friday supervised the demolition of portions of a school building and the boundary wall of a pond at Aamli Jhad village under his constituency Sangod in Kota district due to substandard construction work, officials said.

Speaking to mediapersons after the demolition drive, Nagar admitted to corruption in the construction work and assured that strict action would be taken against the guilty.

“I was stunned to see the poor quality of materials used in the construction of the new school building. Only debris was found under the floors, while substandard iron rods were used to build the roof,” Nagar said.

“The government led by Bhajanlal Sharma is committed to a ‘zero tolerance’ policy. Action will be initiated against the erring contractors and officials,” he said.

The villagers had complained to the minister that substandard construction materials were used in the school building.

After an inquiry, officials told the minister that the roof of the school should be demolished.

However, when Nagar reached the school along with villagers on Thursday, he found that construction work continued without demolishing the roof.

On Friday morning, the minister ordered the demolition drive and collection of samples, which he personally supervised.

The minister also directed the demolition of the boundary wall of the village pond due to substandard construction.

The two-storey school with 30 rooms was being built for Rs 3.91 crore. PTI COR ARI