LAHORE – The Education authorities in Punjab are literally awaiting a disaster before taking action to repair a historic college in Lahore.
The Islamia College Railway Road has been drawing the attention of authorities to the dilapidated structures in the facility but to no avail.
The college principal wrote letters to the higher ups, clearly informing that one of the overhead tanks was posing a threat to the lives of students but the authorities did not bat an eye.
In the correspondence, the head of the educational facility apprised the higher ups that the water tank was constructed in 1953 and the building research authorities also declared it dangerous, calling on them to take adequate action before any tragedy strikes.
The Riwaz/Jinnah hostel of the college has also been in shambles and the concerned officers have been repeatedly told that it was unsafe to conduct classes in these premises; however, the matter has not been taken up, forcing the students to sit under the same roofs declared dangerous.
The historic college, visited by Quaid E Azam for over 10 times, has also moved the relevant officers for construction of a new block to help the students quench the thirst of knowledge in a conducive environment , however, the request has been dealt with in a casual way.
Despite having informed the authorities about the infrastructural fault lines multiple times, there has been no action. The buildings inside the college, if not repaired, are welcoming a disaster which could inflict irreparable loss to the students as well as to the authorities concerned. Due to the same reasons, the admission rate in the college is declining. The college is now left with only around 30 rooms to serve thousands of students.
The Islamia College Railway Road Lahore bears historical significance. In fact Pakistan’s national poet, Allama Iqbal first recited his famous Shikwa, Jawab e Shikwa inside the college. The educational facility has been providing Pakistan with top class alumni, Ch Rehmat Ali, Sahir Ludhianvi, Naseem Hijazi, and Mumtaz Mufti to name a few but the buildings inside the facility paint a bleak picture.
