Alert residents avert hostel collapse

 

The student-inmates of a private Christian school hostel had a providential escape after local residents of Puthur Agraharam and Muthuraja street in Puthur area, noticed from the outside a huge crack on a high wall of the very old hostel building located there. 

 

Official sources said, the tiled-roof building was build in 1930 and the hostel inmates of the school have been using it as a dining hall. Though the Tiruchy district administration had declared a holiday today due to the continuing monsoon rains, about 200 inmates of the school hostel were staying inside. On information, officials of the Tiruchy corporation and fire and rescue services department rushed to the spot and inspected the building, which was in very bad condition and assessed it could collapse anytime.

 

The district officials then quickly directed the school authorities to demolish the entire building immediately, which was done with the help of an earth mover, the sources said. Former State minister and Tiruchy West MLA, M Paranjothi visited the spot, oversaw the building demolition operation and held discussions with the school authorities about the alternative boarding arrangements to be made for its hostel students.