UP minister climbs boundary wall to inspect government inter-college, finds campus in disrepair

Days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to conduct regular inspections of schools and ensure that students have access to basic facilities, Minister of State for Revenue Surendra Diler inspected a government inter-college in Aligarh and found the campus in a state of disrepair.

With the college gates locked, Diler climbed over the boundary wall to enter the premises and found the roofs of several classrooms either damaged or missing, he said. Also, the toilets meant for students were in a bad condition, it is learnt.

The campus was also overgrown with grass, highlighting the lack of regular maintenance. After seeing the condition of the college, Diler summoned the principal to the spot and directed them to arrange immediate repairs and restore basic facilities for students.

The minister also sought a detailed account of the funds allocated to the college by the district inspector of schools (DIOS) and how they were spent over the past 10 years. Diler is MLA from the Khair constituency in Aligarh district.

The government-funded college, located in Salpur village in Aligarh’s Tappal block, currently has 305 students. Speaking to The Indian Express, the minister said he visited Salpur village on Sunday to offer condolences to the family of a jawan who died on the line of duty.

While returning, he was approached by local residents, who complained about the poor condition of the government inter-college in the village, he added. After hearing about the problems, Diler said he called the principal and asked him to send someone to open the gate.

The principal said the lock would be opened, but the person with the key would take time to arrive. “As it was getting late, I decided to enter the campus by climbing over the boundary wall,” he said. “During the inspection, I found that the roofs of four to five rooms were either missing or damaged, while the washrooms were in poor condition.

The campus was also overgrown with grass,” the minister said. He said he directed the principal to look into the problems and asked the DIOS to take immediate steps to improve the condition of the building and address other issues.

When contacted, DIOS, Aligarh, Puran Singh said he had sought a report from college principal Chandra Bhan Singh, who informed him that the overgrown grass had since been cleared. Singh said the remaining issues would also be addressed soon.

The college has 17 rooms, but those with damaged roofs were not being used, he said.