The ceiling of a hostel room at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) partially collapsed, revealing the varsity's deteriorating infrastructure.
This happened at Godavari Hostel when sections of the ceiling fell right on a study table. Residents in the room were not injured, but a laptop was broken, according to Swati Singh, President of the Democratic Students Federation, who lives in the same hostel, as stated in a report by PTI.
"A part of the ceiling fell off in a room in the Godavari Hostel in JNU. Although there were no serious injuries to any resident, the residents of the room were sleeping nearby and the ceiling fell directly on their study table thereby damaging the laptop," said Swati Singh, as stated in the report.
This is not the first time something like this has occurred at JNU. Previously this year, a student at Sabarmati Hostel was critically hurt in April when the restroom ceiling fell on him.
Many complaints, but action?
Despite multiple complaints to the authorities, Swati shared that no action had been taken. Students have repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the state of the JNU hostel infrastructure. In recent months, student organisations have staged a number of rallies in response to the problem. The students have demanded an overall renovation of the Godavari hostel, on an immediate basis, including waterproofing treatment.
In a statement by the residents of the hostel, it was stated that, "We, the residents of Godavari Hostel clearly want to state that if any unfortunate incident happens to any resident, the wardens, the administration should be held accountable for the same as they are not taking the issue of crumbling hostel infrastructure seriously.”
After several days of protest, the administration issued a notice last month stating that the renovation will be carried out in phases.
JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit said, "However, the notification only mentions renovation of toilets in Godavari Hostel that too will happen only in the second phase of renovation work. We believe that it is not only insufficient but also reflects the criminal negligence of the administration.”
Pandit had told PTI last month that the repair work of hostels and libraries has been expedited and will be completed by next March after students took to social media to complain about dripping hostel roofs and flooded corridors.
According to Pandit, the institution has received the first installment of the funds requested from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for infrastructure rehabilitation, with priority given to hostel and library repair work.
