100ft boundary wall of RD Women's University collapses

BHUBANESWAR: Around 100 ft boundary wall of Rama Devi Women's University collapsed in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. This wall was renovated in November last year before the visit of President Droupadi Murmu to her alma mater. Local corporator said substandard work was the reason behind the collapse.
An elevated structure was constructed on the existing old wall to increase the height of the boundary wall on the side of Janpath. There is a vending zone on the outer side of the wall. It has around 25 shops. There is a water tap beside the wall on the vending zone side. Nobody was injured in the incident as it happened before 8am.
Jeevan Rout, local corporator, alleged that this incident happened due to substandard work. “Government funds should be used meaningfully. Earlier, we had protested the shoddy work of the boundary wall. Nobody is paying heed to our requests. Action should be taken against the contractor. Work should be started immediately,” he added.
He also said the incident would have created disaster had it collapsed after 10am. “It would have led to tragedy on both sides,” he added.
Aparajita Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of Rama Devi Women’s University, said drainage of the vending zone was passing under the boundary wall. “Because of this, the wall was soaking water and it had damp patches. We had informed about this problem to Bhubaneswar municipal corporation (BMC) and other authorities one and a half months ago,” she added.
She said drain water also enters university campus. “We had asked the construction agency to erect pillars to give support to the wall. We do not have an engineering unit to look after all these construction and technical matters. It is not good to have a vending zone near a women’s university. We have also written a letter to the government on this,” said the vice-chancellor.