SRIKAKULAM: Five students of Dr BR Ambedkar Gurukulam Girls College at Tamarapalli in Srikakulam district were bitten by rats while they were asleep in their hostel dormitory on Tuesday. The students were shifted to Narasannapeta government hospital and were administered anti-rabies vaccine.
Stating that the health condition of the students is stable and that they returned to the hostel, Dr BR Ambedkar Gurukulam Schools/Colleges District Coordinating Officer (DCO) N Balaji Naik said at least 240 students have been studying in the college at Tamarapalli. They reside in a dormitory and attend classes on the same campus.
Elaborating on the incident, Naik said doors of the dormitory were left open in the night on Monday, following which the rats entered the premises and bit the students, studying intermediate first year, early on Tuesday.
On receiving the information, college staff immediately rushed them to Narasannapeta government hospital, where they were kept under observation for a couple of hours and were discharged after being administered anti-rabies vaccine as a precautionary measure, he explained. The DCO assured that measures will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
Steps taken to eliminate rats at hostel
He said arrangements have been made to trap the rats and any holes that could allow the rodents to enter the dormitory have been closed.
The incident has triggered concerns among the parents, who complained about the abysmal state of the school and hostel. They expressed anger over the negligence of the school authorities and the lack of cleanliness in the hostel, especially the bathrooms.
Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar inquired about the incident and instructed Animal Welfare joint director V Jaya Raju to take immediate measures to eliminate rats from the hostel. Following the Collector’s instructions, Jaya Raju and his team visited the hostel, set up rodenticides to kill the rats, and also placed traps. He also trained the hostel staff on how to operate the traps effectively. The Collector instructed college staff to step up sanitation on the hostel premises.