Jaipur:
Students of an art school in Rajasthan have started wearing helmets before entering classrooms, as means to safeguard themselves from the shabby condition of their college building.
Surprisingly, for the last one year, the under-graduate and post-graduate students of Rajasthan School of Art, wear helmets when they enter their classrooms, President of the College Students Union, Ajay Singh Shekhawat said.
"It is an ancient monument, its wall, ceiling, roof, and floor are breaking from every corner of the rooms. Recently a piece of 5 kg plaster fell on the students during a class in which one of them has sustained injuries. Since then the students are very scared of the deteriorating building structure", Shekhawat said.
He also handed over a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Higher Education Minister and senior department officials.
"The Government is quite aware of the situation and the chief minister has announced twice in his budget speech to shift the college to a safer place, but to no avail so far", he said.
A piece of land was allocated in Shiksha Sankul's block number nine, the building design was approved, but the process got stuck, he said, adding two alternative government buildings were also proposed, but took cognizance of the CM's budgetary statement.
Due to non-shifting of own college place, the UGC affiliation was discontinued, Shekhawat said.
A Public Works Department official said that the minor repair and maintenance was done as and when required, but the whole building could not be renovated so easily.
"The students union would launch an agitation on roads after Deepawali vacation, if the shifting of place is not done," said Shekhawat.
The college was to be shifted to a suitable place, but unless the JDA is directed, how could action be ensured, a Jaipur Development Authority official said.
An approval from the Education Ministry was awaited, another official said.