JNU hostel roof collapses second time in six months; no action taken

NEW DELHI: In yet another incident, the ceiling of a hostel room at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) partially collapsed, exposing the crumbling condition of the varsity infrastructure. The incident took place in Godavari Hostel when parts of the ceiling fell directly on a study table.

Residents of the room did not suffer any injury but a laptop was damaged, said Swati Singh, who lives in the same hostel. "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, president of the Democratic Students Federation (DSF). This is not the first time that such an incident has happened in JNU.

In April, a student in Sabarmati Hostel was seriously injured when the bathroom roof collapsed on him. Despite several complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken as of now, Swati lamented. The dilapidated condition of JNU hostels has been highlighted by students time and again. Student groups have held a series of protests in the past few months over the issue. JNU students have demanded that the overall renovation of the Godavari hostel including waterproofing treatment must be done on an immediate basis.

Also Read | Rs 8.6 lakh spent on JNU VC's home in 4 months; Students still await fellowships

"We, the residents of Godavari Hostel clearly want to state that if any unfortunate incident happens to any resident, the wardens and the administration should be held accountable for the same as they are not taking the issue of crumbling hostel infrastructure seriously," the residents said in a statement. After several days of protest, a notice was released by the administration last month where it was mentioned that the renovation would be undertaken in a phased manner. "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," they added JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit had last month told PTI 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. Pandit said the university has received the first installment of the funds it requested from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for infrastructure improvement, and priority is being given to hostel and library repair work.