Minister N Shamsudheen Blames Contractor for School Games Pavilion Collapse; Disowns Responsibility for Accident

Thiruvananthapuram: The collapse of a pavilion during the state school sports meet has been blamed on the contractor by Minister N Shamsudheen, who sought to distance himself from the incident. Reportedly, no safety inspection was conducted after the shed was erected. However, when questioned about the lapse, the minister merely said that everything would be examined.

The incident was justified on the grounds that the pavilion collapsed due to unexpected strong winds and rain. At the same time, the department and the minister are trying to put the responsibility on officials.

The Deputy Director of Education (DDE) has submitted a report to the Director of General Education placing the entire responsibility for the lapses at the event, organised under the leadership of the General Education Department, on the district sports coordinator and secretary.

The DDE's previous order had assigned the two officials only the responsibility of arranging the ground and equipment required for conducting the competitions. They had not been entrusted with the construction of the pavilion that led to the accident. Despite this, the report seeks to place sole responsibility for the accident on them.

O J Janeesh, the Sports Minister and the minister in charge of the district, also sought to distance himself from the issue, making the unusual claim that the matter falls under the Education Department.