Tamil Nadu government college students face toilet and water shortages

Students at the Government Arts and Science College at R K Nagar in Chennai are unable to use the toilets because the taps have no running water. Similar problems were reported at Dr Ambedkar Govt Arts College in Vyasarpadi, Rajeswari Vedachalam Govt Arts College in Chengalpet and Govt Arts and Science College in Perumbakkam, where clean toilets are lacking. Water purifiers recently installed in most government colleges were also dysfunctional due to a lack of maintenance.

These complaints come as the state government has decided to introduce four-year undergraduate degrees. The 181 government arts and science colleges in the state have more than 7,000 vacancies, and the recruitment of 2,700 assistant professors is progressing slowly. According to sources, this has resulted in a decline in student numbers.