Cracks in walls, ceilings force IIT-B students to vacate hostel
What's the story
IIT-Bombay is one of the most elite institutes in the country, but unfortunately, its students are devoid of basic infrastructure.
The students residing in hostel 4 have been complaining about crumbling infrastructure for almost a year and on Sunday authorities finally took note.
Students were vacated from the hostel's D-wing. However, students said A, B, and C wings weren't any better either.
Here's more.
Problems
Walls, pillars, ceilings of "premier institute" had cracks
A Mumbai Mirror report highlighted the inhospitable conditions in which students were residing: the walls, pillars, and ceilings had cracks and wooden beams supported the crumbling stairways.
A student told the daily the hostel was running beyond capacity.
Reportedly, the strength of students in 2018 was 8,200. With a considerable hike in admissions, the strength increased to 9,500 students this time.
Quote
Cots couldn't arrive due to floods: Administration told students
About the situation, a student said, "I have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for the past week and I have been ill. The administration ordered cots but said there was a delay in delivery because of floods in parts of Maharashtra."
Details
While some students made peace with the situation, others ranted
Meanwhile, another student said he has gotten "accustomed" to this situation. He revealed the rooms are pretty small, and four students live in a room meant for only two.
Some students took to a Facebook page, titled "IITB Diaries Confessions", to shed light on the worrisome conditions in which they were living.
A student, who posted anonymously, wrote they feared ceilings might fall.
Quote
Students are living under constant fear
"We started the semester with news that one of the pillars supporting the wing has cracked just after the audit. Yesterday, when beams were put in place in every wing to support the structure, we felt a shiver down our spines," the post dated August 8 read.
Facebook Post
Here is the complete post
Statement
Eventually, all students will be vacated from hostel 4
However, the institute claimed that barring D-wing, all other wings are safe.
Falguni Banerjee, Public Relations Officer of IIT-Bombay, said estate office put up a couple of pillars since there were a few cracks on the staircases.
"Slowly, all students of hostel 4 will be shifted to other hostels. Already, 96 final-year B.Tech students have been asked to shift to hostel 18," Banerjee added.