Concrete chips have fallen from the roof, exposing the iron roads
Photo: M. Govarthan
Crumbling concrete: A view of the damaged roof and walls of the dining hall at Government hostel for Adi Dravida boys in Sathyamangalam. —
SATHYAMANGALAM: School students residing at the Government Hostel for Adi Dravida Boys here have to put up with the dilapidated condition of the building.
Take for example, the dining hall. Concrete chips from the roof have fallen in more than a couple of places, exposing the children to iron rods.
Given the condition, it appears that the chips are only waiting to fall. The result of the bad roof is that the hall leaks.
Leaks
Marks of water that has dried are on the wall and roof appear to be proof enough of the bad condition. The students say the leaks occur too often in the rainy season, to their discomfort. The hall doubles up as studying room as well.
The students’ rooms are no better. Here too the cement plaster on the roof has given way to expose students to iron rods, perhaps as a lesson that concrete is made of blue metal mixed with cement, sand and iron rods.
The kitchen is equally damaged. One of the four walls is damaged near the windows. As far the sunshades go, it is better left unsaid.
The hostel with a capacity to accommodate more than 100 students, now has only 74 students, who study either at the Government Boys’ Higher Secondary School, Sathyamangalam, or Sathyamangalam Municipality Boys’ Middle School.
Constructed in 1979, the hostel is maintained by the Adi Dravida Welfare Department. The office of the Special Tahsildar for Adi Dravida Welfare also functions in the building. Only two rooms are well maintained at the hostel – one is the tahsildar’s and the other, the hostel warden’s.
Printer friendly
page Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
