Madras University asks nine deptartments to vacate building by Oct 31, cites health concerns, ETEducation
Chennai: University of Madras has asked all departments functioning in the Oriental Research Institute (ORI) building on the Marina campus by Oct 31 to commence renovation in view of safety concerns about the structure.
The 90-year-old red brick building with stone pillars will be handed over to public works department for renovation in Nov. As of now, nine departments Tamil language, Tamil literature, Sanskrit, Kannada, Arabic, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Centre for Islamic Studies are function from the building, with more than 150 students and research scholars study there.
“The steel columns covered in the brick structure were corroded, which weakened the stability of the building. To prevent the collapse of sunshades on passersby, the university erected temporary fences to prevent people from walking under them,” a faculty member said. Some of the stone pillars on the facade developed cracks.
State govt has sanctioned 19 crore for the renovation of the ORI building under the special projects initiative in the budget. “It is imperative that the renovation work commences by Nov, failing which the allocated funds may be reverted to govt. It has been resolved to hand over the building for renovation. In this context, all departments must vacate the premises by Oct 31,” a circular from registrar Rita John to the departments said on Monday.
However, professors said the university administration has not made proper alternative arrangements for the departments to continue functioning. “The campus requires more than 45 rooms, including classrooms, rooms for faculty members, and research scholars. The university’s circular did not mention where the departments have to relocate and it has given very short notice,” a faculty member from the Marina campus said.
“We have offered an alternative space in an adjacent building on campus and at the guest house. Arrangements have been made for students from the Tamil department to attend classes in shared classrooms at the Chepauk campus. But faculty members are demanding more than 45 rooms, including separate rooms for PhD scholars,” said Rita John. She added that the university has been holding negotiations with the faculty members on temporary relocation for the past three months.
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