School ignored for years, VIP road built overnight: Rajasthan govt under fire

New Delhi: In an appalling display of administrative priorities, the Rajasthan government has come under fire after building a VIP road overnight to facilitate ministerial visits, just hours after seven children died when a portion of their school building collapsed in Piplodi village.

The government school building, neglected and allegedly crumbling for years despite repeated warnings, collapsed during morning assembly on Friday. The tragedy killed seven students, some as young as six, and injured 27 others. 

But instead of outrage and accountability, what followed was a road-paving frenzy to smoothen the visit of senior officials.

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The road to the Piplodi Government School had been in disrepair for years, locals said. Students and teachers had been navigating potholes and mud tracks every day. But within hours of the fatal collapse, the same stretch was relaid overnight, because ministers and top officers were expected to visit the village the next morning.

“Seven of our children died because the school was falling apart, and all the administration could do was fix the road to make it easier for VIP cars?” said one local resident.

Villagers accused the administration of apathy and misplaced priorities. “Had the government acted half as fast to repair the school building as they did to make a road for ministers, this collapse could have been avoided,” said Ramprasad Lodha, the village sarpanch, who was among the first responders with a JCB machine.

According to residents, several complaints had been made to the local tehsildar and SDM about the school’s condition. Tree roots had burrowed into classroom walls, water seepage was visible, and the structure had cracks, yet no preventive action was taken.

Protests erupted in the area, with residents burning tyres and blocking roads, demanding strict action against officials and proper compensation for the victims’ families.

To add to the criticism, many locals said injured children were rushed to hospitals on motorbikes and private vehicles because ambulances arrived late, contradicting the administration’s claims of quick response.

While five staffers were suspended and a high-level inquiry was ordered, villagers dismissed these moves as cosmetic, given the larger systemic negligence.

Jhalawar District Collector Ajay Singh claimed the building wasn’t flagged as unsafe in recent inspections. But locals insist that warnings were issued multiple times and ignored.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, in a video message, promised to ensure no school remains in dilapidated condition. But by then, bulldozers had razed what remained of the school building, and seven young lives had already been lost.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow, and leaders across party lines, from Rahul Gandhi to Om Birla and Vasundhara Raje, offered condolences.