Hyderabad: Water scarcity has begun disrupting academic activities at junior colleges in the city, with several corporate colleges known for conducting classes even during holidays declaring early Diwali vacations and asking hostel students to vacate their rooms on Tuesday evening.Two campuses of leading corporate colleges in Madhapur and HiTEC City announced holidays from Tuesday, while several other colleges are expected to follow suit.“Due to the severe water crisis prevailing across Hyderabad, we are planning to provide temporary holidays for both junior and senior students until Diwali. Online classes will be conducted regularly during this period to ensure that academic activities continue without interruption. All students are requested to attend online classes without fail,” read a notice issued by one of the colleges.While holidays were declared from Tuesday evening, the colleges did not specify the reopening date. They said that updates regarding campus reopening would be communicated before Diwali.Sources said that if the water situation does not improve in the next few days, colleges may extend the closure for the rest of the academic year and continue with online classes.Student leaders, meanwhile, questioned whether the colleges had obtained official permission to suspend physical classes or had taken the decision unilaterally.“This once again shows that colleges are doing whatever they want. Earlier, they conducted classes even during holidays, but now they have decided to shut down when they are supposed to be holding classes. Why are officials not questioning them? If they are already facing water shortages, how were they allowed to operate hostels in such areas?” asked Dileep J, a student leader from the city.Universities and colleges across Telangana are also considering a shift to online classes and even the possibility of curtailing the academic year if the water crisis worsens.
