Wed Apr 09 14:36:16 UTC 2025: ## Thanjavur College Faces Infrastructure Crisis Amidst Construction Delays
**Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, April 9, 2025** – The Thirukattupalli Government Arts and Science College in Thanjavur is facing a severe infrastructure crisis, three years after it began operating from a temporary campus in Budalur. The college, one of ten new government colleges established in 2021 to expand higher education access in Tamil Nadu, is struggling with overcrowding, staff shortages, and delays in the construction of its permanent campus in Mosaspuram.
Currently housed in a former Panchayat Union Office, the college shares its cramped space with a cement godown and other government offices. This lack of space forces the college to operate classes in two shifts, impacting its over 610 students across five departments. The absence of basic amenities, including hostel facilities, particularly affects students from outside Thanjavur district.
Staffing is another major issue. The college has only two permanent faculty members, with the remaining teaching staff consisting of four teachers deputed from other colleges and 14 guest lecturers. This situation, according to P. David Livingstone, State president of the Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers’ Association, reflects a larger problem of over 4,000 lecturer vacancies across the state’s higher education department.
While the Higher Education Department claims construction of the new campus is underway, the project has been hampered by land encroachments and administrative delays, despite land acquisition in 2022 and foundation laying in November 2023. Concerns remain about the impact of these ongoing issues on the academic quality and the welfare of students as the college prepares to graduate its first batch.
First Piper 