TIRUCHY: A third-year BSc Physics student of Thanthai Periyar Government College in Tiruchy has been hospitalised after he was bitten by a venomous snake at the on-campus hostel.
The student — K Deepak (21) from Valayapatti in Namakkal district — has been receiving treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) since Friday. The student was initially critical, but his condition had stabilised by Saturday morning, according to sources.
The incident has renewed the demand among hostel inmates for measures to ensure students’ safety and proper maintenance, including clearing of vegetation overgrowth, which they cited as a cause for the snakebite incident.
A senior professor and hostel in-charge said that Deepak was part of a student committee and was in charge of overseeing motor operations and garden maintenance.
Deepak was bitten by the snake when he went to turn on the water motor around 6.30 am on Friday, added the professor.
Of the nearly 3,500 students in the college, 310 reside in the campus hostel, which has 52 rooms. Over 600 students are accommodated in three community halls, including two for women and one for men.
Tiruchy corpn sent team last week but vegetation yet to be cleared: College
A professor, requesting anonymity, said the Rs 3,000 monthly fee collected for the food and accommodation of students was inadequate even to carry out basic maintenance. The professor added that the on-campus hostel is managed by the institution, while the community hostels come under the district administration.
Students’ Federation of India urban secretary J Surya said, “A month ago, we submitted a petition highlighting the need for maintenance work on the hostel premises. The work can be carried out using funds from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), which are not effectively utilised.” He alleged that the condition of community hostels is worse, with poor maintenance and the absence of wardens at times.
A senior official from the college administration told TNIE that the issue had already been raised with the civic authorities. “We had written to the Tiruchy Corporation seeking the clearing of vegetation inside the campus. A team was sent last week, but the work was not completed thoroughly,” she said, adding that the students had recently raised the issue during a consultation meeting with Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan. The administration plans to meet Corporation Commissioner N Ponmani with photographic evidence to press for immediate action, the official said.
Meanwhile, Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education (Tiruchy region) K Radhakrishnan said the Tiruchy Corporation has already initiated steps to clear overgrown vegetation and assured that the work would be completed soon.
