Trichy school roof collapse sparks safety concerns; BJP's Annamalai slams DMK govt, raises accountability questions

Trichy (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 22 (ANI): A roof collapse at a government school near Thuraiyur in Trichy district on Monday sparked alarm and raised questions over the safety of school infrastructure in Tamil Nadu.
The incident occurred at the Singalanthapuram Panchayat Union Primary School, which offers classes from grades 1 to 5 and has 34 enrolled students. The school operates in a two-classroom building constructed at a cost of ₹30.05 lakh.
According to officials, the collapse occurred this morning when the headmaster came to open the building. Cement debris fell onto benches and an LED TV. No students were present at the time, as the school had been closed for the weekend. Officials said that had the collapse occurred while students were in class, it could have caused serious injuries.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai criticised the DMK government on Monday, alleging corruption and poor oversight in the construction of school buildings.

On X, Annamalai wrote, "Even the buildings of government schools where our little children study have not escaped the corruption of this vile DMK regime. Since the DMK came to power, there has been no count of school buildings whose roofs have collapsed. To allow DMK officials to make money, the safety of our children is being put at risk. And this is happening in the home district of the School Education Minister himself."
He further questioned the role of contractors and the government's accountability.
"Who is the contractor who built these school buildings? On what basis was the contract awarded to them? What action has the DMK government taken so far against the contractors who built the collapsing school buildings?" Annamalai asked Monday.
Highlighting concerns over declining enrolments in government schools, the BJP leader alleged that the issue of collapsing school buildings could have larger implications.
"Already, student enrollment in Tamil Nadu government schools is steadily declining, so what is the background to the continued collapse of government school buildings? Is the Tamil Nadu School Education Department working to supply students to the private schools run by DMK members?" he said.
He demanded an explanation from the Tamil Nadu School Education Minister.
"The School Education Minister must provide an explanation for all of this to ensure the safety of poor, humble students studying in government schools," Annamalai added. (ANI)