Over a dozen students of Mumbai University had a narrow escape on Monday afternoon when a big piece of the ceiling of the iconic Jawahlal Nehru library fell onto the tables they were seated at.
The students and staff were unhurt in the incident which occurred in the C-wing of the library in the Kalina campus, the third such case in the past three years. However, it did cause them to run out of the three storeyed library in panic.
A visibly-shocked eyewitness told dna, "It was so horrifying that for a moment, we thought that the entire library would collapse, as it has been in a dilapidated condition since years."
Over 30 students and nearly 50 staff members were present in various sections of the library at the time of the incident.
Previously, dna reported on Nov 14, 2012 about the huge cracks in the ceilings and walls. Bamboo pillars supporting the walls were clear indicators of an impending disaster.
Following the report, the varsity allocated Rs1 crore for repairs in the 2013-14 budget. However, nothing was done when dna visited the library after six months, which was reported in a follow-up story on Nov 21, 2013. The situation is still the same, admitted the staff, who work in dangerous conditions daily.
"It is shameful that insensitive officials are playing with the lives of staff and students, despite drawing their attention to the shoddy structure several times," said Sanjay Vairal, a member of the university senate.
The library houses over seven lakh books. This includes15,000 Chinese, Farsi, Sanskrit and Urdu manuscripts, microfilms dating back to 1942, and hundreds of students' dissertations. Though it is an open library and a large number of people living around the university used to visit the library, the number has significantly decreased over the years.
VC missing, Pro VC downplays the issue
While the mobile number of vice chancellor Rajan Welukar remains unreachable for over two months now, pro VC Naresh Chandra downplayed the issue. "Only plaster had fallen, not the slab and no student or staff was hurt in the incident."
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