Ceiling slab collapses at Mumbai University's sports complex

A portion of the ceiling slab inside the sports complex at Mumbai Universityrsquos Vidyanagri campus at Kalina collapsed on Saturday evening raising serious safety concerns Fortunately no injuries were reported in the incidentHowever the collapse has triggered strong criticism from the opposition party and Mumbai University MU Senate members who have accused the university of negligence in maintaining campus infrastructureAccording to reports the sports complex had been rented out to a private association for organizing sports competitions when the incident occurred The collapse left a gaping hole in the ceiling raising alarm about the structural integrity of the facilitySenate members inspect site demand accountabilityFollowing the incident Yuva Sena Senate members Pradeep Sawant Shashikant Zore Mayur Panchal and former Senate member Rajan Kolambekar visited the site early Sunday morning to inspect the damage Despite the severity of the mishap children players and parents were still present at the venue for a judo competition the next daySenate members expressed outrage over the university administrationrsquos indifference stating that senior officials including engineers should have immediately inspected the site and taken corrective measures They also pointed out that despite informing the Vice Chancellor and the registrar the tournament was not canceled and the university continued renting out the space for private sporting events even on SundayCall for vice chancellorrsquos resignationYuva Sena leader and MU Senate Member Pradeep Sawant criticized the administrationrsquos failure to act promptly stating ldquoDespite immediately bringing this to the notice of the Vice Chancellor and the registrars office they did not cancel the tournament and allowed events to continue No university official even visited the sports complex where the slab collapsed We had previously warned the administration about the weakening of the structure We demand that the Vice Chancellor resign taking moral responsibilityrdquoThe Senate members have demanded detailed reports and the findings of an audit conducted for the sports complex calling for immediate accountability and corrective actionAs of now Mumbai University officials have yet to issue a statement regarding the incident and the demands for resignationThe issue however has sparked a larger debate on infrastructure safety across university campuses with students and faculty calling for urgent measures to prevent similar incidents in the future