Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 11: Students of Institute of Music and Fine Arts (IMFA), University of Jammu (JU), protesting against unsafe and dilapidated condition of Poonch House, the building presently housing IMFA, observed strike and boycotted classes on the second consecutive day today.
The students had come out of the Poonch House, yesterday when a portion of plaster of ceiling of room at the topmost floor of the old building fell and injured a student and damaged the instruments in Tabla Department Class. The students shouting slogans against failure of JU authorities to strengthen Poonch House’s roofs and ceilings damaged by water leakage and sat on dharna outside Poonch House.
‘It was sheer luck that the heavy plaster piece from the ceiling did not directly fall on the head of the student. We are afraid to work in studios due to the constant fear of falling debris’, said one student.
IMFA was taken over by JU in January 2011 and since then no concrete steps have been taken to preserve the historic building of Poonch House. This has put a question mark on the safety of more than 150 students and staff members of IMFA.
The students said that ‘we shall continue the strike till preservation measures of Poonch House are started by concerned authorities and makeshift alternate arrangement for running IMFA classes is made immediately.
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