New Century School: Poor upkeep of building led to collapse

​Hyderabad: The shocking shed collapse which claimed two students lives on Thursday at New Century School in Kukatpally was due to poor maintenance of the school building, claimed parents. According to sources, the construction material used was of poor standard and was not competent enough to stand for long time. The shed was constructed on walls which were built 10-12 years ago. 

Despite several complaints to the school management regarding weakening of the roofs, the management never paid heed. Heavy rains over the years weakened the sheds making them vulnerable to extreme weather.

Due to the heavy rains that lashed the city on Wednesday night, the sheds started cracking and when the students came to attend a karate class on Thursday morning the shed finally collapsed. The students who were busy practising Karate did not have a chance to escape and the debris fell on them.  

The students who sustained severe injuries were identified as D Mani Keerthana (9), Chandana (8), Nikitha (9), Sandeep (10), Devishri (10), Naresh (11). The incident took place around 2:30 pm and the parents were informed at 3:30 pm. The injured students were rushed to the nearby Anupama Hospital. But, while undergoing treatment Mani Keerthana and Chandana succumbed to the injuries, whereas Nikitha, Devishri, Sandeep and Naresh are undergoing treatment.

The bodies of the deceased students were shifted to Gandhi Hospital for postmortem on Thursday. As the condition of Naresh was worsening, he was shifted to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills for treatment. Parents of Mani Keerthana, D Venkatesh and Latha, went into deep shock with the loss of their daughter. Keerthana’s grandmother Padmamma and aunt Krishnaveni expressed sorrow and shock. According to Keerthana’s relatives, the fourth standard students was always active in her endeavours and was clever. 

She wanted to become a Doctor and take care of her parents and younger brother. Keerthana liked Karate and was active in class and received gold medal in Writing competition. Mani Keerthana’s father Venkatesh works for Kapil Chit funds, Kukatpally. Chandana’s family is also devasted with the loss of their young child. N Chandana is the second daughter of her family. According to Chandana’s family, she and her elder sister Yashwitha were good at studies right from their childhood. 

Their father Nagababu who works on a construction field always took utmost care of his children. He paid Rs one lakh fee to the school management. Chandana’s family is not in a state to accept the tragic loss. Naresh and Nikitha who were shifted to Apollo Hospitals on Thursday for better treatment are still said to be in critical condition. According to Apollo Hospital sources, Naresh whose lungs were punctured has abdominal injuries. Due to internal bleeding he is on ventilation in ICU. 

Nikitha suffered a fracture in the skull and clot in the brain. She is also on ventilation support and is responding to the treatment. Devisree who was admitted to Anupama Hospitals in Vivekanandanagar Colony was discharged on Friday afternoon. And Sandeep Reddy who is in JNTU Anupama Hospitals is said to be stable with a leg fracture, Anupama Hospital sources said.