Imphal, March 05 2009:: A portion of the recently constructed two-storeyed ladies' hostel in Manipur University at the first floor collapsed today causing fear to the lady hostellers lodging there even though none suffered casualty.

Around 100 students are lodging in the hostel which was inaugurated around one and half year back in July 2007. The wall plaster of the hostel break down today morning at around 6.30 am and then collapsed some portion of the structures, hostellers said.

Apart from breaking the plasters on the walls, there appear cracks on the floor and to the pillars.

This indicated that the hostel was not constructed with quality control, the students observed.

The president of the Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) Narayan while talking to reporters here blamed engineers and contractors responsible for the construction of the hostel building terming them as self-interest persons who do not think of students.

He also expressed his willingness the underground outfits instead of taking percentage from the funds for the development of the educational institutes and other, to have close vigil on controlling the quality of such developmental works.

The collapse of the building has also caused disturbances in the study of the students he said and demanded the concern engineers and contractors to clarify with appropriate reasons within five days time.

DESAM education secretary, Arambam Thoithoi who also came to the hostel site said that since after a student become handicap when hurt in school building collapsed at Lilong Higher Secondary School last year, DESAM has been pressing all concerns to maintain quality.

But, keeping behind the plea of the students body, still contractors are doing works of construction of school building and other structures of the school as their good income earning centre, he added.

He also said that instead of giving interest in the academic calendar of the students, authorities of the MU also remaining giving their intention towards taking contract works.

Undergrounds also remaining silent by taking percentage without considering for the students, he said adding that it is an unfortunate one as contractors used to avoid non-control of quality to their working due to diversion of funds for paying percentage to the undergrounds.

He also said that the responsibility of the collapsed should not fix only to the contractors but engineers and SOs looking after the works also should be blamed.

The collapsed portion should be repaired within a month time, he insisted.

Now time has come to come out all the schools, college and university students unions and shout in a unanimous voice against such sub-standard workings, he observed.

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