Short-circuits, exposed wires continue to pose threat to Panjab University students

The National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) team, in their visit to the PU campus in August, had also recommended that since most buildings in Panjab University’s campus are old and have heritage structures, there is a need to renovate and upgrade them to ensure safety

Another short-circuiting incident was reported at Boys Hostel Number 4 on Friday night raising concerns about electrical wiring at Panjab University (PU) as fire incidents from short-circuits continue on the campus. Three such incidents have been reported in the past three months itself.

Three fire incidents have been reported at Panjab University in the past three months itself. (HT)

While the incident wasn’t major on Friday and there was some sparking, the video of which went viral on social media, residents of the hostel confirmed that fire extinguishers aren’t present on all floors of PU hostels.

As per Divyansh Thakur, a research scholar in PU, the wiring boards in Hostel Number 8 are left exposed, which can also endanger students’ lives. “This is an accident waiting to happen and authorities must be proactive about this. The wiring boards along most of the water coolers in the hostel have been removed, leaving the wires exposed. Also, there are no fire extinguishers in the hallways,” he said.

On August 16, a minor fire, due to short-circuiting, was also reported at the international hostel. Apart from hostels, a minor fire had also broken out in AC Joshi Library on August 7 which was attributed to faulty wiring.

Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) president Jatinder Singh said, “The problem is that the wiring needs to be revamped. We will ask the Punjab government to allocate some funds for maintenance of hostels before constructing new ones.”

Speaking about this incident, dean students welfare (DSW) Jatinder Grover said, “We ensure that fire extinguishers are installed in all hostels. The wiring in some hostels has gotten old and is being replaced in phases and will ensure that the system becomes safer.”

The National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) team, in their visit to the PU campus in August, had also recommended that since most buildings in Panjab University’s campus are old and have heritage structures, there is a need to renovate and upgrade them to ensure safety.