Gadchiroli Snakebite Tragedy: Maharashtra Govt Orders Permanent Cancellation Of Ashram School Licence

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the permanent cancellation of the licence of a government-aided tribal residential school in Gadchiroli where three girls died after being bitten by a snake. The incident occurred around midnight on Sunday at an ashram school in Japtalai village, where six girls were reportedly bitten by a snake while they were sleeping on the hostel floor. Around 50 girls were staying in the hostel, and there was no warden present at the time of the incident.

The deaths prompted the state government to order a comprehensive review of safety and basic facilities at tribal residential schools across Maharashtra. A third-party audit will be conducted at around 511 aided ashram schools in the state, Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike said.

Uike briefed the state Cabinet about the incident during its meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday. Following the briefing, Fadnavis directed officials to permanently cancel the licence of the school and suspend the official responsible for its recent inspection.

The Chief Minister observed that the school lacked teachers, a warden and even basic facilities despite receiving government assistance. He questioned how such deficiencies could have gone unnoticed during official inspections.

Fadnavis also directed the authorities to ensure that inspections cover schools located in remote and interior areas instead of focusing only on institutions situated along major roads.

He asked the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting and establish a comprehensive inspection mechanism for all ashram schools to ensure that deficiencies relating to safety, staffing and basic infrastructure are identified and addressed promptly.

Uike said the supervisor responsible for inspecting the school had visited it once a month but failed to record its poor condition in the visit book. The supervisor will therefore be suspended, he said.

The Tribal Development Minister also questioned how former Congress MP Marotrao Kowase could run an ashram school in a manner that allegedly compromised the safety of girl students.

The Cabinet meeting also saw ministers expressing grief over the deaths and discussing the condition of aided ashram schools and measures required to improve their functioning.

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