Construction of strong boundary wall for RDW University recommended – Times of India

Bhubaneswar: The higher education department on Thursday urged Aparajita Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, to offer her views on the fact finding report submitted by the Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation on collapsing of university boundary wall on April 9.
After a portion (180 ft) of the university boundary wall caved in, the corporation’s two members visited the place to find out reasons behind the falling of the wall in front of the university.
In its fact finding report, the members stated that the incident happened due to extraction of soil/earth from the plinth of the boundary wall. Around 2 feet depth of soil was taken away in order to prepare a grass bed for beautification. “Due to an imbalance of plinth level on either side of the boundary wall, the wall collapsed towards the campus side,” read the report.
The report further said continuous seepage of water from the vending zone side to the boundary wall was also a reason for the collapse of the boundary wall. “The vendors of vending zones are in practice of discharging water continuously adjacent to the boundary wall as they have no wastewater management system or drainage system. The drinking water supply line passed through the boundary wall has weakened the wall too,” said the report.
However, the corporation said it is not related to the collapse of the boundary wall.
The corporation recommended the government to stop seepage of water and draining of wastewater from vending zone side and strengthening of plinth of boundary wall by providing plinth protection up to four feet wide. It has been proposed in the report for construction of a new boundary wall with reinforced cement concrete (RCC) foundation and columns. “It is not possible to retrofit by inserting columns in between the existing wall,” read the report.