Sorry state of affairs jeopardise career of scores of Arch students

School of Architecture sans permanent campus, infra

Irfan Tramboo

SRINAGAR, Mar 1: After being shifted to dilapidated-under construction building in a far-flung area of Safapora, BA students of the School of Architecture in the absence of a permanent campus are craving for better facilities to carry on with their professional studies.
Earlier, the School of Architecture was functioning from Degree College, Bemina and was later shifted to a far off place in Safapora area of Bandipora district and falls under the temporary control of Govt College of Engineering and Technology (GCET), Safapora.
The site to which the students have been shifted belongs to GCET and not to the School of Architecture. The site selection for the independent infrastructure is yet to be made by the Department of Higher Education.
The School of Architecture was launched with much hype but it remains to be nobody’s baby as the students are suffering for the want of better facilities and infrastructure to study the subject in its entirety.
The admission notification with regard to the admissions in the course and the subsequent selection list was put out by the Kashmir University. However, there is no administrative control of the University of Kashmir over the School of Architecture.
What has made the situation even grave is the fact that the premises which was given to the School of Architecture at Bemina Degree College, was supposed to run the single batch. However, over the period of two years, more two batches were taken in without any upgradation in the infrastructure.
As of now, the temporary place that has been allotted for these students is full of structures that are under construction. With the majority of students being females, the lavatory facilities are just for name. Toilets have been made out of makeshift tin sheds giving tough time to the students who are paying a good amount annually as fee.
The infrastructure which is in place does not fall in line with regard to guidelines put out by the Indian Council of Architecture (ICA). As per ICA norms, the Institute of Architecture should be located in a building to have a floor area of about 15 sq. m per student.
For effective studies of an architecture student, the building, as per the ICA norms should include class rooms and at least 5 studios, library, workshop and materials museum.
“The space requirement per students for architectural education whether in the institution or in the hostel are apt to be more than for most other types of professional courses like engineering and medicine,” the norms said.
The School of Architecture also fails in a number of prerequisites put out by the ICA for an institute to qualify to be called as an Institute of Architecture.
What is further affecting the affairs of the School of Architecture as well as the students is the fact that the School has got no permanent Administrator in the form of Principal as of now. The School is taken care of by caretaker—Principal of Govt College of Engineering and Technology Safapora.
“The area is not safe due to the fact that it is shooting stone prone and falls within the range of quarrying area. The place falls into the Wildlife territory as well,” the parents of the students said.
They said that the road leading to the makeshift space for the school is also not developed. “Given the terrain of the area, we have to wait for our children till their classes are finished because there is no transport facility. There is no electricity as well,” they added.
With almost no infrastructure in place—which could have qualified it to be called as a School of Architecture—the care taker Principal issued a notice, which the parents termed as threatening. He asked the students to join the class work, failing which they will not be allowed to sit in the exams.
“How can we send our wards to such a place where there is nothing? We cannot risk the safety of our kids at any cost. The Principal of the Govt College of Engineering and Technology Safapora is operating from a better place which is Degree College, Sumbal. Why do our students have to face the heat?”, the parents asked.
The parents have also written to the care taker Principal to make efforts to handover the School of Architecture to the University of Kashmir, where there are chances for the department to flourish, but nothing appears to be working as of now.
The In-charge Principal of the College, Dr Rauf Ahmad Khan said that the School of Architecture is being set up there only. “We have the basic minimum facility what is needed as of now. We have the land there and the School of Architecture will be set up there. It is permanent place for it. The students as well as the parents should allow the concerned to develop the site in accordance to the norms. Things do take time”, he said.
He added that the classes are on and there is faculty available for the students. “They should come and join the classes”, he added.

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