SKSJ Technological Inst in B'luru students suffer for lack of power, water, toilets
Bengaluru: A premier institute, it was established way back in 1938 by Sir Mirza Ismail and Sir M.Visvesvaraya. But the new building of the Government Sri Krishnarajendra Silver Jubilee (SKSJ) Technological Institute at K.R. Circle that was inaugurated in January 2017 during its platinum jubilee celebrations still does not have an electricity connection, water or toilets, complain its students.
Students like Rajesh Bhat, who is doing his M.Tech at the institute, say they have been repeatedly requesting the authorities for power supply after most classes were shifted to the building, but nothing has come of it . "Without lights it is very difficult to see the board in the class. And although we have WiFi and even CCTVs for our security, they cannot be used without electricity," he pointed out.
Worse, the temporary washrooms set up on campus have been locked, complain the girls. "There are two washrooms for the girls in the old building, but in the new building, there is no water," lamented first year Computer Science student, Kavita.
Going by Rajesh the boys need to go to Vidhan Soudha or the M.S building in search of usable restrooms. "The absence of proper hostels is yet another problem. The list of issues we face here is never ending," he added sadly.
The students are also upset with the piles of scrap and construction debris left inside the building. "The dust rising from the scrap is causing respiratory problems and skin allergies among many students, some of whom are now wearing masks to come to class," said Kavita, who finds the wires hanging from the ceiling a hazard as well.
"The principal has promised to rectify things by the month end. But if things don't improve we will be forced to organise massive protests," warned Ravinandan B.B, state vice-president of AIDSO.
When contacted, Principal Shashidhar Ramthal promised that the electricity problem would be resolved by the end of the month. "The grants for the deposit for the power connection have been received and we have given the money to KPTCL. As for clearing the scrap from the building, we have repeatedly requested the BBMP to do it and now are approaching the PWD," he said.
On the absence of washrooms, he said the temporary toilets were locked on the request of some students as they were near the laboratories. "With new courses now being offered by the institute, the number of students on campus has risen from 90 to 800, which made the use of the temporary toilets a problem," he elaborated.
