TOI: No school if bldg not fire safe: April 14, 2009

No school if bldg not fire safe

SC Rules All Institutes Must Be Certified Quake-Safe Too ……..Dhananjay Mahapatra

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered that no new government or private school would be given affiliation if the building did not have fire safety measures and earthquake-resistant structure.

Pained by the death of 93 children in a fire at a Kumbakonam school in Tamil Nadu five years ago, a bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and H S Bedi said, Children cannot be compelled to receive education from an unsound and unsafe building.

Referring to the incidents involving death of school children in TNs Kumbakonam as well as Dabwali in Haryana in 1995, the bench said, It has become imperative that safety measures as prescribed by the national building code of India, 2005, be implemented by all government and private schools functioning in our country.

The other directions to all state governments are:

* All existing government and private schools shall install fire extinguishing equipment within a period of six months

* School buildings are to be kept free from inflammable and toxic material or stored safely

* Evaluation of structural aspect of the school building must be carried out periodically

* School staff must be welltrained to use fire-extinguishing equipment.

The bench asked the education secretary of every state and UTs to file an affidavit of compliance of its order within a month. These delays have subjected millions more school children to danger from fire, quakes and other causes, it said.

Consumer act not for lawyers

New Delhi: The SC on Monday stayed a ruling of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission holding that services rendered by an advocate to his client in the course of litigation be covered under the provisions of Consumer Protection Act. It stayed the ruling of the NDRC, which was challenged by advocate bodies after lawyers raised a hue and cry over the prospect of being sued by clients for deficient service.

TN wont suspend cops:

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday refused to be cowed down by the pressure tactics of advocates and give effect to a suggestion from the Madras HC for suspension of two senior cops for the use of excessive force during the lawyer-police clash on February 19.