Accommodation facilites continue to be a problem at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat). The hostels at the university are still in a pathetic state and students were asked to vacate the premises on May 30, citing renovation work. Classes will resume at the university on July 2 and the so-called ‘renovation’ work has not progressed much. Only research scholars have been allowed to stay on.
Except for a new coat of paint, nothing much has been done to make the hostel livable, said the inmates. “It looks like the renovation work is limited to painting this year,” some of the students said. Hostel secretary Abesh also said that the quarters were in a sorry state. “At this rate, the required maintenance work can hardly be completed by the time the classes re-open,” he added.
As the hostel facilities are far from satisfactory, the majority of students are staying outside the campus as paying guests, in private hostels or in rented houses.
Out of a total of 11 hostels, only nine come under the Central Office of University Hostels. The BTech Hostel for Boys and the yet-to-be-completed BTech Women’s Hostel are under the purview of the School of Engineering.
The girls hostels’, including Aiswarya, Anaswara, Anagha, Ananya and Athulya appear slightly tidier than the boys’ hostels Sanadhana, Siberia, Sarovar and the post-Matric hostel, but even so, none of them match the required standards. There is water seepage in the rooms when it rains, and power and water problems are constant. Moreover, fans, taps and other utilities cry out for repair.
But for the three new hostels, the remaining are in need of a revamp.
“Maintenance work is going on in three hostels, but all the other hostels also require repair. We are trying to speed up the work,” said S Prathapan, hostel warden. Around 850 girls and 700 boys can be accommodated in the hostels.
The government is yet to take measures to open the new OBC Boys’ Hostel which can accommodate over 100 students. “The government allotment has to be made for the hostel to be opened. Once that happens, at least some of the issues will be sorted out. Applications for admission are pending and sometimes we are forced to accommodate three or more students in one room,” he said. The Cusat Engineering Department is trying to finish the work on time, but funds are indeed a problem, said sources.
The rooms of the BTech Hostel for Girls, designed to accommodate 600 students, have been turned into classrooms. Evidently, accommodation of students is a major problem at this esteemed institute.