Nobody was occupying the block when it came crashing down late on Thursday night. The occupants were shifted to another block when it was found that flood waters had eroded the weak foundation last year and the block could cave in any time.

As a precautionary measure, occupants of three more blocks, which the university authorities found in bad shape, have been shifted to lecturers' quarters subsequently. The quarters, occupied by class III and IV employees, were constructed about 15 years ago.

Sources say loose land is only part of the problem. Sub-standard construction and the local weather have caused equal damage. The plight of staff quarters came to light only because of the collapse, but it is the building's housing post-graduate departments that have always been the source of a major worry for the university.

Some of the buildings are so dilapidated that students and teachers openly air their grievances and express reservations about having been forced to frequent them. The university also never made any bones of the fact and ensured that the dilapidated precincts were always high on the agenda when it sought grants.

But, the university simply did not have any money to carry out repairs. In fact, it was possible for the university to at least consider whether the staff quarters could be made fit for living by renovating them when it learnt of the havoc caused by flood waters.

But then grants were hard to come by and inadmissible expenditure for years ensured that the state government was not going release more grants, points out an office-bearer of South Gujarat College and University Teachers' Association. Since there was no other resource, the buildings were allowed to die on their own.

Former vice-chancellor Ashwin Kapadia came up with a suggestion during his tenure that repairs were only possible if buildings were adopted by industrialists or philanthropists from the region. Kapadia had claimed there were many takers for the proposal that would have ensured that the building carried the adopter's name.

Many had scoffed at the proposal. Sources say less than half a dozen persons had shown interest. One of the known critics of Kapadia says the Syndicate was not even informed by Kapadia and hence the idea remained on paper.

Vice-chancellor Premkumar Sharda says though the idea was good the university will have to review it afresh. He says the university will seek the help of Surat Municipal Corporation to demolish the staff quarters on their last legs.

Syndicate member and one of the members on the inquiry committee -- that will submit its report within 15 days -- professor Girish Rana says the scenario is grim. He along with other government nominees on the Syndicate and Senate have demanded that action be taken against the contractor and whoever was in-charge when the buildings were constructed.

``How could they collapse within 15 years. We will take up the issue with the government. Who will be held responsible should there be a death?'' he says, adding the committee will also submit report on the state of PG departments in a month.