BHUBANESHWAR: The state government will recover a compensation amount of Rs 70,000 from a government official, a junior engineer, for negligence in performing her duties. Due to lack of monitoring the repairing work of a primary school in Keonjhar district, seven kids were injured after newly repaired ceiling plaster of the school roof fell on them on September 30, 2022.
The state government issued this order after getting a show-cause notice from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding payment of Rs 10,000 as compensation to each of the injured students of Arjunbilla primary school under Ghatagaon block in the district.
The Commission passed a fresh order on Friday asking Odisha chief secretary to make payment of compensation of Rs 10,000 each to all seven minor victims and submit compliance report along with proof of payment within four weeks. The amount will be recovered from the then junior engineer (JE) of Ghatagaon block, according to the government’s submission before the Commission.
Human rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, petitioner of this case, said the repair work conducted under the supervision of JE, Ghatagaon block, was completed on September 19, 2022. The incident happened on September 30. While the classes were going on, a plaster slab of around three feet fell down on the floor. Seven students sustained injuries and complained of body pain. They were rushed to Ghatagaon community health centre and discharged from hospital after two days, he added.
The Commission took the cognizance of the petition of Tripathy and heard the cases several times. “In this case, the state and its officials failed to exercise their lawful duty commensurate with responsibility. Therefore, state is liable to pay compensation as, firstly, it failed to prevent and regulate occurrence of such negligent act by its public official and, secondly, it failed to safeguard the most basic human and fundamental rights of the affected/injured minor students/victims who were close to losing their precious life,” read the fresh order of the Commission.
State government report stated that Keonjhar district collector has taken action against the JE by transferring her from Ghatagaon block and initiating departmental action against her.
The state government issued this order after getting a show-cause notice from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding payment of Rs 10,000 as compensation to each of the injured students of Arjunbilla primary school under Ghatagaon block in the district.
The Commission passed a fresh order on Friday asking Odisha chief secretary to make payment of compensation of Rs 10,000 each to all seven minor victims and submit compliance report along with proof of payment within four weeks. The amount will be recovered from the then junior engineer (JE) of Ghatagaon block, according to the government’s submission before the Commission.
Human rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, petitioner of this case, said the repair work conducted under the supervision of JE, Ghatagaon block, was completed on September 19, 2022. The incident happened on September 30. While the classes were going on, a plaster slab of around three feet fell down on the floor. Seven students sustained injuries and complained of body pain. They were rushed to Ghatagaon community health centre and discharged from hospital after two days, he added.
The Commission took the cognizance of the petition of Tripathy and heard the cases several times. “In this case, the state and its officials failed to exercise their lawful duty commensurate with responsibility. Therefore, state is liable to pay compensation as, firstly, it failed to prevent and regulate occurrence of such negligent act by its public official and, secondly, it failed to safeguard the most basic human and fundamental rights of the affected/injured minor students/victims who were close to losing their precious life,” read the fresh order of the Commission.
State government report stated that Keonjhar district collector has taken action against the JE by transferring her from Ghatagaon block and initiating departmental action against her.
