Karanjia, October 6: A major fire broke out at Vivekananda Public School, a private educational institution in Karanjia of Mayurbhanj district, triggering panic among students and parents. All the students were reportedly safely evacuated.
The incident has raised concerns over the safety arrangements and compliance with prescribed norms at the school. Local residents and parents have alleged that the institution has faced controversies from time to time over alleged non-compliance with government directives, inadequate facilities, management-related issues, difficulties faced by parents, alleged deficiencies in teaching, and alleged misbehaviour by security personnel with journalists and parents.
According to reports, the fire broke out suddenly in the computer laboratory on Monday evening while hostel students were studying. The incident created a tense situation on the school premises.
On receiving the information, a team from the Karanjia Fire Station, led by Fire Station Officer Sitakanta Mahanta, reached the spot with two fire tenders. Fire personnel Prabhakar Jena, Babuli Naik, Sudhanshu Jena, Amit Mahanta, Rajib Naik, Sunaram Soe, Manoj Behera and Premchand Munda took part in the firefighting operation. After considerable efforts, the fire was brought under control.
Furniture, classroom ceilings, chairs, tables, computers and other machinery were reportedly damaged in the fire. Despite the premises becoming filled with smoke, the students were safely evacuated from the classrooms.
Questions have now been raised over whether the school has a valid fire-safety certificate. The fire officer reportedly said that he was not aware of whether the school possessed such a certificate, though fire extinguishers had reportedly been installed on the premises.
The incident has also raised concerns over the accessibility of the school for emergency vehicles. According to reports, the approach road is narrow and does not provide sufficient space for fire tenders. Firefighters reportedly had to manoeuvre the vehicles back and forth through the narrow road before reaching the school, which allegedly delayed the firefighting operation.
The incident has left students and parents worried. Some parents reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the suspected lack of adequate fire-fighting equipment at the school. Local residents and intellectuals have also questioned how permission was granted to operate a school at a location where emergency vehicles reportedly face difficulty in reaching the premises.
Residents have questioned why the concerned administrative and departmental authorities allegedly failed to ensure regular inspection of fire-safety arrangements at such educational institutions. They have demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and the school’s safety arrangements.
The residents and parents have urged the Education Department and district administration to take stringent action against any institution found violating safety regulations or compromising the safety of students.
Local residents have also made allegations that some profit-oriented educational institutions operate by allegedly bypassing rules with the influence of certain serving or retired officials. These allegations have not been independently verified and would require investigation by the competent authorities.
The fire incident has once again highlighted the need for strict enforcement of fire-safety norms, proper emergency access and regular inspection of private schools, particularly institutions with hostel facilities.
