Teachers demand safety measures in institutions

The Coordination Committee of Associations of Teachers in Delhi (CCATD) Thursday expressed deep anguish over the drowning of 24 students in the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh.

It demanded the education ministries at the centre and in the states should have a department to look after the enforcement of mandatory safety measures in Indian educational institutions.

"CCATD offers its heartfelt condolence to the bereaved families and wishes them strength to bear this tragedy. This irreparable loss is not just of the families of the students or the college but of the entire nation," it said.

"We would like all those in authority to learn a lesson from this tragedy so that such events do not occur in the future," the association said in an open letter.

The CCATD said that in India, educational institutions have not paid enough attention to the safety of young lives which resulted in tragedies like fires and stampedes in schools, and school bus accidents.

"CCATD suggests that as a nation we need to be more caring so that precious lives are not lost due to callousness. Further, accountability needs to be fixed in each case of a tragedy so that they are not repeated time and again," the letter said.

"CCATD demands that ministries of education at the centre and the states must have a department which looks after the enforcement of mandatory safety measures in educational institutions in the country," it said.

It added that a memorial be set up in the memory of the students at the spot where they were washed away in the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh.

A wall of water swept away 24 engineering students and a tour operator Sunday evening after water was released into the Beas without a warning from a nearby hydropower project.