Dilapidated schools, SIR spark protests in House
Jaipur, Jan. 31 -- The Rajasthan legislative assembly on Friday witnessed repeated disruptions over dilapidated school buildings, alleged irregularities in special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, social security pensions, OBC scholarships and stalled roadways depots, with the Congress walking out and proceedings being adjourned.
The House first saw heated exchanges during Question Hour over the condition of government school buildings.
Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully accused the state government of ignoring the worsening infrastructure, alleging that schools were being run from temples and even poultry farms.
He claimed that out of 45,365 schools in the state, nearly 41,000 require repairs, while 3,768 buildings are in a dilapidated condition, but only 2,588 have been officially declared unsafe.
Responding to BJP MLA Sandeep Sharma's question, education minister Madan Dilawar said all dilapidated school buildings would be demolished as annual examinations are approaching. He stated that nearly 1,800 school buildings are currently classified as unsafe and that a committee mechanism is already in place, with reports routed through District Education Officers and action timelines fixed.
Dilawar announced that the government will now fix construction, repair and final deadlines for every school building to ensure accountability. He also said that while earlier only projects costing over Rs.30 crore underwent third-party audits, all school buildings will now be subjected to third-party audits through ITI's and polytechnic colleges to ensure construction quality.
He said that to protect buildings from dampness, waterproofing measures, regular roof cleaning and proper slope design in future constructions will be ensured to prevent waterlogging.
Dilawar said that a statewide survey of all school buildings was conducted in August 2025. As per the survey carried out by technical teams constituted through district collectors, 3,768 school buildings were found to be in a dilapidated condition. Of these, 2,558 buildings have already been declared unsafe, while the remaining 1,210 are yet to be officially declared dilapidated. The demolition process for these buildings is currently underway.
He further stated that the survey revealed that 41,178 out of 45,365 government schools require major repairs. Under the state budget for 2025-26, an amount of Rs.174.97 crore has been sanctioned for major repair works in 2,000 government schools, with district-wise and school-wise details tabled in the House.
Blaming the previous Congress regime, Dilawar alleged that no serious effort was made to repair or strengthen school infrastructure, leading to a backlog of unsafe buildings.
He asserted that the BJP government would carry out repairs in a phased manner and would also investigate buildings constructed during the Congress tenure, demolishing those found substandard.
Tensions escalated again during replies related to social security pensions and OBC scholarships.
Jully expressed dissatisfaction with the data presented by the social justice and empowerment minister on OBC scholarships and accused the government of avoiding clear answers. Heated arguments followed, prompting the Congress legislators to stage a walkout from the House.
During Zero Hour, the issue of alleged irregularities in SIR reverberated through the Assembly.
Congress MLA Zakir Hussain Gasawat was allowed by the Speaker to raise the matter, but parliamentary affairs minister Jogaram Patel objected, stating that voter list preparation falls under the Election Commission and not the state government. This led to sharp exchanges between the Leader of Opposition and the minister, creating uproar in the House.
"We are only asking where these applications came from and whether they will be investigated. We want the government to get it probed," Jully said.
As members from both sides engaged in a shouting match, the Speaker adjourned proceedings till 2pm, five minutes ahead of the lunch break.
When the House reassembled, Jully urged Speaker Devnani to allow a half-hour discussion, pointing out that election reforms were recently debated in the Lok Sabha. The parliamentary affairs minister maintained his stance that such a discussion would violate assembly rules.
Speaker Devnani informed the House that he would make a decision after seeking the opinion of legal experts and the Assembly Secretariat.
The Assembly also saw a confrontation over six Rajasthan Roadways depots announced during the Congress government but yet to be operational. Jully and Congress MLA Amit Chachaan accused the BJP of stalling projects initiated earlier. Deputy chief minister and transport minister Dr Premchand Bairwa countered that the Congress had made announcements without financial provisions and proper feasibility studies. He said surveys were conducted and decisions taken on whether bus stands or depots were viable as per norms....
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