PU college roof collapse triggers protest in Kalaburagi

Kalaburagi: AIDSO members on Saturday staged a protest demanding immediate compensation for students injured in a roof collapse at the Govt Girls’ Pre-University College on SP Office Road, and called for the construction of a new building.The organisation later submitted a memorandum to the district administration after holding a demonstration in front of the DC’s office. Addressing the protesters, AIDSO district president Tulajaram NK said thousands of girl students from labourer and farmer families across rural parts of the district depend on the college for higher education.He said the collapse of a portion of the ceiling in a First PU Commerce classroom on the third floor of the new building during class on Friday had raised serious concerns over student safety.Students identified as Srushti, Sneha, Sheetal, Puja, and Divya sustained serious injuries in the incident and were admitted to a nearby trauma care centre for treatment. Two of them were shifted to the ICU due to the severity of their injuries.The incident has created fear among students and parents, Tulajaram said, urging the govt to release funds for a new college building to ensure student safety.Protesters alleged that many govt educational institutions in the district were in a similar condition and said the incident reflected the low priority given to infrastructure development in govt schools and colleges, especially ahead of the monsoon.AIDSO district secretary Venkatesh Devadurg, district vice-president Preeti Doddamani, treasurer Spurthi Gurajalkar, and hundreds of students participated in the protest.