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Video Editor: Deepthi Ramdas
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After a few cases of bridges collapsing, a new case of hostel building collapse has emerged in Bihar, leading to questions about the quality of its construction. A part of the minority hostel building inside the campus of MWE High School in Munger collapsed on 26 September. We visited the site shortly after to gauge what had happened.
No casualties or injuries were reported as the hostel has been closed since the lockdown in March. What could have been a disaster for 42 residents of the hostel turned out to be a narrow escape for them.
The hostel, called Maulana Minnatulla Rehmani Boys Hostel, was built in 2004 by the Minority Welfare Department of Bihar with the Department of Building Construction. In just 16 years, the hostel mess and the common hall area fell into pieces.
Heavy rain and the 2015 Nepal-centric earthquake are cited as some of the reasons behind the incident, as the already dilapidated building was never repaired.
Questions have always been raised over Bihar’s education system, but this also raises a question on educational institutions and the buildings associated with them.
Students residing at the hostel narrowly escaped the collapse because they went back to their homes during the lockdown. Imagine if students had been studying or sleeping in their rooms, they would have lost their lives. Who would have taken responsibility?
A staffer of the MWE School told us that the condition of the building has stayed the same despite complaints.
The hostel building which is in a dilapidated condition also poses a threat to the students and staff of MWE High School as the building stands right next to the school in the same compound.
Snigdha Sneha, District Minority Welfare Officer, Munger, told The Quint:
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