PLASTERS having flaked off the ceiling in several rooms of the Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall in the University of Dhaka has once again exposed the neglect of student safety. A large chunk of plaster came off the ceiling of a bathroom in an extension building of the hall early July 29. While no injuries were reported, resident students say that such incidents are far from isolated. Photos and video clips doing the rounds on social media show alarming conditions 鈥� plaster flaking off ceilings, cracks developing across walls and students being forced to live under the constant threat of injury. The hall provost acknowledges that the structure is old and its deterioration exacerbated by poor drainage shared with the halls near by. Although a meeting was held the next day to decide on permanent repairs, students remain sceptical about it, citing years of delayed action and superficial fixes. This incident is neither unprecedented nor surprising. It is the latest sign of an enduring institutional failure to ensure basic structural safety in the halls of residence.
The collapse of a building roof at the Jagannath Hall of the university at night on October 15, 1985 left 40 dead.聽 There were media reports on plasters flaking off the ceiling and the walls so much as to lay bare the iron rods of the columns and cracks developing in the walls at the Salimullah Muslim Halls in 2023. Residents report similar conditions in some rooms and corridors also in the Surya Sen Hall, which could spell hazard. Engineers in the past declared several buildings unfit for habitation, yet no comprehensive renovation has been undertaken. Students allege that minor repair work is occasionally carried out but only for the halls to return to a rickety state within months. Despite assurances from the university administration, including claims of a long-term master plan, the lack of transparency, urgency and accountability in implementation is glaring. Financially constrained students, many of whom cannot afford private accommodation, are left with no choice but to reside in structures that endanger their lives. This is not merely a logistic or maintenance failure, it is also a breach of duty by the premier public university.
The university administration should now act with the earnestness that the problems demand of it. Structural safety audits of all halls, especially the old ones erected when the university began its journey in 1921 or shortly after,聽 should be done without delay. Emergency relocation plans should also be prepared for the residents. Renovation work should no longer be deferred.
