Banki: A student died and several others were injured when a pickup van carrying school students to a Republic Day parade ground overturned under the Banki police station area of Cuttack district Sunday.
Sources said the accident took place when over 20 students of Malaviharapur High School, after participating in the Republic Day function in their school, were on their way to Saranda parade ground near Ansupa Lake to participate in Republic Day celebrations.
The injured students were immediately rushed to the nearby Athagarh Government Hospital. Nine of the injured were later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after their condition deteriorated. But unfortunately one of them died in the hospital.
Following the incident, the Cuttack District Education Officer (DEO) sought strict action against the Headmaster of Malabiharpur High School and wrote a letter to the Director of Secondary Education. In response, the School and Mass Education (S&ME) department Sunday placed the headmaster of the high school under suspension for negligence of duty. Sources in the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) department said the S&ME department Secretary Salini Pandit visited the injured students involved in the unfortunate incident at Banki at the SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Sources said the condition of all students is stable and a Collector-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The S&ME department will provide Rs2 lakh to the family of the deceased students and `30,000 to that of each of the injured students. Instructions have been issued to all schools to take measures to ensure that such unfortunate incidents do not recur.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the kin of the deceased. The Chief Minister directed the authorities to provide the best medical care to the injured students undergoing treatment.
PNN & Agencies