Osmania University hostel ceiling collapses; students worried about safety

Fortunately, no injuries have been reported by students since the incident happened in the night. However, they were shaken by the sudden collapse of the ceiling.

Osmania University College of Technology students were a worried lot about their safety after a portion of ceiling collapsed in the boys hostel on the university campus here on Sunday.

The incident occurred in the hostel’s washroom on Sunday night due to continuous rain in the city. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported by students since the incident happened in the night. However, they were shaken by the sudden collapse of the ceiling.

Following the incident, students expressed their apprehensions about their safety and upkeep of the age-old-building dating back to 1960’s, which houses about 300 students.

Students questioned the college administration over lack of their advance monsoon action plan to arrest the seepage of water into the hostel rooms.

According to sources, repairs on the building were to be taken up last summer. However, they were not carried out as students stayed put in the hostels after the Congress government asked the Osmania University (OU) administration to keep the hostels open for students in the summer vacation.

Every year, repair and renovation works in the hostels are taken up during the summer vacation as students leave for their homes.

A senior college official said that since it’s an old structure built with lime mortar and iron beams, regular repairs with cement cannot be taken up.

“Due to continuous rains, a portion of the ceiling collapsed and no student was injured. We will begin repair works in the building. The college is not receiving necessary funds from the university administration for repair works,” the official said.

However, a senior official of the university administration said the college does not give a penny from its revenue from hostels, mess and tuition fee to administration. “It’s an autonomous college that has to look after hostel building’s upkeep from its revenues. Necessary repair works should have been done to the building but it is not done. The administration is giving immediate approval for any request for repairs that comes from the colleges,” the senior official added.

Out of 29 hostels on the campus five hostel buildings are in dilapidated condition and unfit for occupying by students. The university administration is coming up with two new hostels, which are likely to cater to arts and science students of the campus colleges.