Maharani college hostel roof plaster falls, exposing crumbling RU infrastructure
2
Jaipur: In an incident that has raised serious concerns about student safety, plaster from the roof of University Maharani College's Annie Besant hostel fell Thursday morning exposing dangerous cracks on the roof, just one day before the institution's 82nd foundation day.
While no casualties were reported, the incident at the girls' college sparked outrage among students and their representatives, highlighting a systemic failure in maintaining educational infrastructure.
The college administration's attempt to restrict media coverage - denying entry to TOI photographer - has only intensified scrutiny of its handling of this infrastructure crisis.
Deputy chief minister and higher education minister Prem Chand Bairwa shared on X, "I received information that the roof and walls of Maharani College have been damaged; it is extremely worrying.
Taking immediate cognisance of this matter, RU vice chancellor and the registrar have been directed to immediately inspect all colleges under the university, including Maharani College, and ensure immediate solution to repairs, structural improvements or other problems.
"
The collapse, triggered by three days of heavy rainfall, has exposed the deteriorating condition of multiple educational buildings under the University of Rajasthan (RU).
The Maharani College has two hostels—Annie Besant & Mother Teresa Hostel and Veerangana Kali Bai Bheel Hostel. Currently, 200 girl students are residing in Annie Besant Hostel alone, which was built in 1948.
Students reported widespread issues, including water leakage during examinations, suggesting a pattern of neglect. "Such an incident has happened due to the carelessness of the University. Is the RU administration waiting for some mishap to take place before it acts?" demanded student representative Dev Palsaniya, highlighting the administration's apparent apathy.
NSUI state president Vinod Jakhar escalated the matter, citing previous safety incidents including electrical issues with water coolers. "I demand from the state govt that the RU vice chancellor and the administrative officials concerned should be made accountable," Jakhar stated, calling for immediate inspection and concrete measures to ensure student safety.
College principal Payal Lodha acknowledged the crisis, confirming that eight hostel rooms and 10 campus rooms have been locked due to safety concerns.
"This is an over 80-year-old college campus, which needs repairs and maintenance, and within next 15 days, work towards that will start," Lodha said, adding that RU has sanctioned approximately Rs 2 crores for repairs at the college.
The crisis extends beyond Maharani College. At the University Maharaja College, opposite the girls' college, similar infrastructure issues plague classrooms and the library. The incident comes in the wake of a tragic school building collapse in Jhalawar where seven students of primary classes died due to roof collapse last week, prompting faster fund sanctions across educational institutions in Rajasthan.
Maharaja College principal GP Singh said that funds of Rs 1.5 crores have been sanctioned by the RU for repairing the building and roof, Rs 15 lakhs for repairing the library and Rs 11 lakh for repairing the infrastructure at the Statistics department.
Authorities, however, said that repairs cannot commence until the monsoon season concludes, leaving students vulnerable to further mishaps.
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