The city has not witnessed a heavy shower for nearly a week now. However, the ground at the Dr. Ambedkar Government Arts College, Vyasarpadi, looks like a pond, full of stagnant rainwater.
A section of students and staff allege that water stagnation remains a persistent issue for roughly four to five months of the year when it rains. “Even a moderate spell of rain for a day can result in stagnation of water for several days,” said a faculty member, speaking on condition of anonymity. A final year B.Com student said the stagnant water was a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Highlighting that over 3,000 students, predominantly from socio-economically backward families study in the college, another faculty member said the ground, if maintained, could help the students develop an interest in sports. “Recently, a new building was constructed in our college to mark the birth centenary of late Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. They could have addressed the issue then,” he added.
PWD’s responsibility
When contacted, a senior faculty member involved in administrative activities said despite taking up the issue multiple times with the Public Works Department, which takes care of maintenance, no action was taken. “When the new building was being constructed, we were assured by PWD officials that the ground would be levelled However, that was not done,” he added.
The senior faculty member said effective usage of the annual maintenance fund of around ₹20 lakh could help resolve the issue.
