On the morning of July 25, Piplodi, a small village in Jhalawar district was changed forever. The morning began like any other, with the sun rising over the lush fields and the village slowly coming to life. But at 7:20am, a deafening crash shattered the morning calm. The govt upper primary school building had collapsed, burying under its rubble young lives. Seven children, full of dreams and promise, were killed and 21 others, injured.The classroom, the roof of which collapsed, was one of two built in 1994 with funds from the gram panchayat. As enrolment increased over the years, two more rooms were built. The rooms built in 1994 were repaired with funds received from the gram panchayat in 2023. They even passed muster in a pre-monsoon safety inspection conducted by the education department. However, villagers raised questions about the quality of the repair work. Shrilal Bhil, a 50-year-old cook at the school, recalls the chaos and despair. “The principal had asked everyone to come early for an inspection. If only the children had arrived at their usual time, maybe this tragedy could have been averted,” he told TOI. Among the victims was his niece, 12-year-old Priyanka, who had been living with relatives in Piplodi to attend school. Parents’ Agony For parents like Udham Singh, the loss is a wound that may never heal. “I sent Priyanka to live with my sister because I had seven other daughters to care for. Who knew I would lose her this way?” he said, his voice heavy with grief. Biramchand, a labourer, was on his way to work when he received the devastating call about his son, Kundan. “My daughter Lakshmi managed to escape, but Kundan couldn’t. I rushed to the school and found him buried under the debris,” he recounted, tears welling in his eyes. Parvati Bai, Kundan’s mother, shared her heartache. “Kundan’s friend had asked him to go to the toilet, but he stayed in the classroom. If only he had left, he might still be with us,” she said, her voice breaking. A Community in Mourning The tragedy has left the village grappling with profound sorrow. Harakchand, who lost his only son, Kartik, is now focused on caring for his injured daughter, Manisha. “People blame me for sending my children to a govt school. I wanted them to learn, not to face death,” he said, his words tinged with bitterness. Development Promises Amidst Grief In the wake of the disaster, the Jhalawar district administration has pledged to transform Piplodi into a model village. With a budget of Rs 1.8 crore, plans are underway to build a new school, anganwadi center, playground, health sub-center, and ration shop. Signages of ‘Adarsh Gram Piplodi’ have been erected, signalling a new beginning. Villagers, however, remain skeptical. “Why did it take a tragedy for the govt to notice us?” questioned Rahul Kumar, who lost his sister Priyanka. “We need accountability for the poor construction that led to this disaster.” Ajab Bai, another resident, expressed frustration over the compensation offered. “Five goats for each family? Are they suggesting we should stick to shepherding?” she asked, full of indignation. A Path to Healing Despite the skepticism, the district administration says it is committed to supporting the community, with Jhalawar district collector, Ajay Singh Rathore, underscoring the need to empower Piplodi’s residents. “They didn’t make unreasonable demands. It’s our duty to help them rebuild,” he told this reporter. Families of the deceased have received financial aid, including fixed deposit certificates and cash. A memorial garden will be established at the site of the collapsed school, honouring the children who died. Piplodi Is Not Alone While Piplodi navigates the path to recovery, Rajasthan govt ordered an inspection of all schools and anganwadi centres to identify buildings in dilapidated conditions that need immediate repair or demolition. Government identified 5,500 schools that need to be demolished and over 18,800 anganwadi centres in poor conditions, of which 6,012 anganwadi centres were demarcated as buildings needing repair on priority. Another survey ordered by the state education department in August this year said Jhalawar district alone is home to 200 schools that need to be built from the ground up, while 500 schools need urgent repairs.
