Across hostels, students have placed buckets in their rooms to gather dripping water.Rain dripping through the ceilings, chunks of plaster and cement falling off – rain in Delhi has exposed the crumbling hostel infrastructure at India’s premier Jawaharlal Nehru University.
At Sabarmati Hostel, one of the oldest ones on campus, so much rainwater has been dripping through the ceiling at the entrance to the women’s wing that residents have had to use umbrellas while walking through it, one resident said.
Scenes from inside Sabarmati Hostel “The condition is bad in almost all hostels, especially old ones. Many rooms have water leaking through the ceiling. It’s even seeping in through the fan, so they are not able to switch those on. In my hostel, the situation is better in first-floor rooms, but the second- and third-floor rooms are in a bad condition. This is an issue we have been facing for 4-5 years, but remains unaddressed. You don’t expect to live this way in what’s supposed to be the country’s best university,” said Anagha Pradeep, a JNU Students’ Union councillor and resident of Ganga hostel. On Saturday, a chunk of plaster from the ceiling fell to the floor in a room in that hostel.
Across hostels, students have placed buckets in their rooms to gather dripping water. Visuals from another hostel room show rainwater gushing through the light attachment on the wall.
“One wall in my room is completely damp with seepage. It has a bookshelf but I’ve had to remove my books and everything else from that side of the room. Half my stuff is outside. Some students have been staying in their friends’ rooms,” said a resident of Sabarmati hostel. A chunk of plaster has also fallen off the ceiling in her balcony.
According to a JNU spokesperson, the university administration has called for a meeting with all departments on Monday to address the issue.
Men’s hostels are facing the same issue. “Last night, a chunk of plaster from the ceiling fell on my chair; water is dropping into the bathrooms. All men’s hostels are dealing with leakages,” said Umesh Chandra, a resident of Sutlej Hostel and ABVP JNU secretary. “This year, we submitted multiple memoranda demanding hostel renovation and held multiple protests but work is still pending.”
A student was injured in April when a section of a bathroom ceiling at Sabarmati hostel fell on him. Since then, the University administration has announced that it has received a grant of Rs 56.34 crore from the UGC anAcross hostels, students have placed buckets in their rooms to gather dripping water.d Ministry of Education towards hostel repairs and maintenance.