The arts and science wings of Jadavpur University have been without power since Saturday.
The rooms in the departments were in darkness when classes resumed on Monday after the weekend break and teachers had to arrange for candles so the students could write their semester examinations.
Four heavy-duty generators were arranged but they have been unable to serve all utilities.
The corridors were dark as they have not been connected with the generators to save load. The laboratories were locked for the same reason.
An official of CESC said an internal fault in the university’s power system triggered the power outage in sections of the campus. “We have sent four heavy-duty generators following a request from vice-chancellor Suranjan Das,” the official said.
A teacher in the chemistry department said they had been told by the university authorities not to operate the labs as the generators might not withstand the increased load.
“Laboratories have instruments that consume a huge amount of power. Operating the labs at this moment is not advisable. So we have shut the labs,” the teacher said.
“We shut down the instruments on Saturday. There are chances that the instruments might get damaged because of the prolonged power outage. There are certain chemicals that have to be preserved at 4 degrees Celsius. We are not sure whether these chemicals could be used again,” said another professor in the chemistry department.
Students were seen circulating messages on WhatsApp groups, sharing information about lab classes being suspended.
Since the lifts are not functioning, teachers and students had to climb stairs to reach rooms on upper floors.
“The examinations are next scheduled for May 25. We hope the power supply will be resumed by then,” a JU official said.
Since some of the classrooms have not been linked to the generators, students were seen sitting on the corridor on the ground floor of the undergraduate arts building and jotting down notes.
“The open spaces are too hot and humid now. So we are here,” said a student.
The central library, students’ hostels and the staff quarters did not have power and were relying on the emergency service.
The sections that house the engineering faculty and the administrative headquarters, Aurobindo Bhavan, were unaffected.
VC Das said it was a “major internal fault” triggered by a spike in load possible because of air-conditioners.
“CESC is helping us rectify our internal fault. Hopefully, normality will be restored by Wednesday,” he told The Telegraph. “We have asked the departments not to run the air-conditioners now.”
JU registrar Snehamanju Basu said the university tried to repair the fault using its own means during the weekend but failed.