Chandigarh4 hours ago
A 16-year-old girl student lost her life after a Peepal tree fell at Carmel Convent School, Sector 9, Chandigarh. 19 children have also been injured in the accident. A 40-year-old female attendant of the school was also injured. The incident happened on Friday morning at 11.30 am. At that time the children were having lunch. At the same time, information has been received that the arm of a student was badly damaged in the incident. that had to be cut.
The deceased student has been identified as Hirakshi, who lived in Sector 43. She was a student of class tenth. She was the youngest daughter in her family. After getting information about the incident, his family members have left for Chandigarh from Shimla. He had gone to Shimla only two days back. According to the information, Hirakshi’s father has a shop in the name of Rajesh Sweets and Restaurant in Sector 35D.
Hirakshi has died in the accident. She was the youngest daughter in the family.
Hirakshi, who lost her life in the accident, was shifted from Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMHH) 16 to PGI for treatment. There the doctors declared him brought dead. At the same time, 11 other children injured in the accident are being treated at GMSH 16. Children are being treated under the supervision of the Director Health Services (DHS).
Four other children have been admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mohali and 2 to Mukut Hospital in Sector 34. The condition of all of them is said to be stable. Injured female attendant Sheela (40) and a child have been shifted from GMSH 16 to PGI. According to the information, the condition of the attendant here remains critical and he has been shifted from PGI’s emergency to ICU.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also expressed regret over the incident.
Regarding the incident, the Home Secretary, Deputy Commissioner, Chief Conservator of Forests and Health Secretary visited GMSH 16 and PGI and inquired about the well being of the children.
Injured children are admitted in these hospitals
In Fortis, Mohali, Jyoti of class IX, Gurbani Oberoi of class VIII, Saanvi and Hunar of class VI are recruited. Jannat Gupta of class VIII and Aamreen of VIII are admitted in Mukut Hospital in Sector 34. The GMSH of Sector 16 includes Geetanjali, Sana Bansal, Sana, Parinaj, Class X’s Prisha, Catherine and Radhika of Class IX, Sejal and Arunima of Class XI. On the other hand, bus conductor Sheela and class X Ishita have been referred from Sector 16 hospital.
Order for magisterial inquiry into the incident
Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. The inquiry committee has been asked to submit its report in a week. The inquiry committee will consist of SDM (Central), Executive Engineer, Horticulture Department, UT and Range Forest Officer, Forest Department.
There should be no other accident, so the inspection started
After the incident, a committee consisting of officials of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Forest Department, Horticulture Wing has been constituted. This team will investigate such trees near the schools and other educational institutions of the city, so that no more such incidents happen in the future.
Education environment in schools will be checked
Regarding this incident of Carmel Convent School, Secretary, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Nitika Panwar has issued orders to the chairperson of Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights. In this, all schools of Chandigarh have been asked to conduct child safety audit. For this, a team of officers of women development, health, engineering, education, municipal corporation, forest, district child protection unit and police should be formed.
During this, it should be ensured that the learning environment in the schools is safe and conducive. The committee will further give its recommendations or suggestions to the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development. After which further action will be taken so that such incident does not happen in future.
Taking the injured child to the hospital. A total of 13 children have been admitted to the hospital.
Police force deployed outside the school
On getting information about the incident, the families of many children reached the school. However, he was stopped outside the gate, after which he demanded permission to enter the school. Police force was also deployed outside the school to maintain law and order.
This old tree took the life of the child. Now after the incident, other old trees of the school are being cut.
Children in school dress injured on stretcher
Parul Garg, mother of Class IX student, who was injured in the incident, said that when she got to know about the incident, she was completely terrified. The school administration asked him to come to GMSH 16 emergency. Children were on stretchers in school uniforms all around. His blood was coming out. The scene was terrifying. Parul told that his daughter was sitting near this tree for the first time. Usually, only children of small classes sit here near the tree.
His daughter told that suddenly a huge huge tree fell in front of her eyes. Due to his fall, his daughter and other children came under his huge branches. Fortunately, Geetanjali and some of the children suffered minor injuries. At the same time, Hirakshi and another student, including the female attendant of the school, were badly injured in this accident. School staff and other students helped and the children were pulled out.
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya also expressed grief over the incident and wished the injured to get well.
The administration had given heritage status to this tree.
The tree that fell was about 250 years old. The administration protected it by giving it the status of a heritage tree. It was covered with cement from all sides. Children often used to sit and play near it during lunch time. On getting information about the incident, many police officers including SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal reached the spot. Sector 3 Police Station is investigating the incident. A crane was used to cut the fallen tree branches. The relief work continued for a long time.
The Department of Forests and Wildlife, Chandigarh Administration had given information about this tree on a board.
Did the administration’s ‘Heritage Tree Love’ become the reason for the child’s death?
The tree, which had fallen due to this accident, had the status of a heritage tree. In such a situation, the question arises that what is the use of such a heritage tree in a place like a school. The heritage tree was bound to grow old and fall. His heritage tree love was dearer to the administration than the lives of children. Why was no thought of cutting such an old tree down or getting it trimmed?
After the incident, a crowd of family members gathered outside the school, but they were stopped outside.
I’m a 250 year old tree and the kids love me
‘It has been written about this tree that I am 250 years old, but still feel very young and fresh because I am surrounded by children. The building of this school was built in front of me. I love children very much and I think they love me too. I am known as Peepal and my scientific name is Ficus Religiosa.
School attendant Sheela’s condition is critical. In such a situation, his daughter is very sad. His family is supporting him.
I am 70 feet tall and my leaves are heart shaped. Kids make beautiful cards using my leaf vein patterns. On many occasions children decorate my 33 feet thick belly (stem). They also meet my heritage tree brothers located in Sector 9A and say hello. Scan the QR code for my family’s technical details.
Chandigarh Administration is the killer of the student: Mother
Samita Kaur told that her daughter also studies in the same school in class XI. The accident happened in front of his eyes. Seeing their classmate and the rest of the children covered in blood, the rest of the children were also very scared. Samita said that the Chandigarh Administration is completely responsible for this accident. Earlier a branch of this heritage tree had fallen and the wall was broken. Now this big accident has happened. Being a heritage tree, neither the administration nor the school administration did the trimming of this tree.
Samita Kaur has blamed the Chandigarh Administration for the incident.
At the same time, he told that apart from the death of one girl, another girl’s arm has to be amputated. She was badly damaged. He has called the Chandigarh administration a killer. At the same time, expressing anger about the incident, he has also tweeted.
He said that the heritage tree which the Chandigarh Administration was talking about for protection was eaten by termites from inside. Earlier also a thick branch of the tree had broken. Similar is the case with many trees in the city. In such a situation, the question arises that where does the funds coming in the name of eliminating the termites of trees go.
This peepal tree has fallen. There were termites in it in many places from inside. The tree had become old and hollow.
Accident could have been avoided: Dr. Shreya
In most of the private schools in Chandigarh, children are asked to have lunch in the ground outside the class-room during the lunch break. Children come down from the first, second and third floors of the school with tiffins in the scorching heat. After lunch, come upstairs. At the same time, many times one has to go to the washroom. Much of the lunch break time is spent climbing and descending the stairs. At Carmel Convent School too, children were having lunch downstairs at the time of the accident. Dr. Shreya, who runs an NGO, Chandigarh’s Dietician and Ahaarik, says that this accident could have been avoided if the children had been allowed to have lunch in the class itself.
Dr. Shreya wrote to the center demanding lunch for school children in the classroom itself. So far no action has been taken in the matter.
They say that the school management does not allow the children to have lunch in the class, citing cleanliness in the class. Dr. Shreya wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in April. In this, there was a demand to issue advisory to all the schools of Chandigarh. In which approval can be given to eat in the class itself during the lunch break.
According to Dr. Shreya, 68 percent of urban children do not exercise daily and the disease of diabetes is arising in them due to consumption of junk food etc. It was said about Chandigarh that many big schools in Chandigarh have short lunch breaks. Children are not allowed to eat food in class. They are in a hurry to eat and go to the wash room. He is unable to eat properly. In the hot summer, children have to have lunch in the open below.