Auditorium roof of MGR film institute collapses twice in 2 days

CHENNAI: The plight of reputed Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film and Television Institute at Taramani seems to be in an adverse condition than one can anticipate.

At the institute, in the span of two days, the roof of the auditorium collapsed and fell, once when the students were present inside.

Speaking to DT Next, a fourth-year student said, "On February 25, there were nearly 120 students present inside the auditorium, when the roof on the top of the stage, collapsed and fell. If there were people sitting on the stage, they would have been hurt. Luckily, there were no accidents."

The student goes on to say that despite informing about the incident, the management did not pay heed. Subsequently, the students' union took the issue to social media.

"Right after the incident, we were unable to contact the management and they have not been supportive at any point. The theatre/auditorium is in fact one of the celebrated property of the campus, considering that is where the movie screening happens, but if this is the state of the theatre, one can image what is the plight of the rest of the institute,” says a member of students' union.

He further says that students are at risk of falling ceilings and poor maintenance. "This cannot be the condition of such a celebrated film institute. The theatre was renovated by Public Works Department (PWD) in 2019, despite which, this is the condition of the infrastructure here,” he added.

After the February 25 incident, students allege that the roof once again collapsed and fell when PWD officials were conducting inspection inside the theatre on February 27.

A principal (in-charge) of the film institute said, "The repair works are being undertaken at fast pace."