BANGALORE: A Geotech masters degree student, Pramod K, has been living at the Bangalore University Postgraduate Hostel for Men for the last seven years.
The hostel, he said, was poor in facilities.
Others, by and large his juniors by at least three years, expressed the same opinion. According to them, they can come up with more complaints than the number of blocks at the sprawling Jnana Bharathi campus.
UNCLEAN SWEEP
“Anybody, who enters the hostel premises, can notice how badly the premises are maintained.
The bathrooms and toilets are very dirty,” said Pramod when TNIE paid a visit to the hostel.
The washing area close to Block A was also full of filth and dry leaves, he said.
“Frankly, there is nothing much here,” said Zodingpuia, a third year civil engineering student. “However, with a monthly fee (`1,100), we should not complain much.” His batch mates Pavan Kumar and Praveen Kumar complained that things were indeed very bad. “There is a TV room, but no cable connection. Newspapers come, but are used by the canteen staff to pack stuff. There are no indoor sports facilities,” said Pavan.
GIVE US MORE!
Rooms are bath facilities are not enough to cater to the number of students.
“There are some rooms in which up to five people are accommodated,” said Umakanth, who pursues his first year masters programme in commerce. Every room, by design, can ideally have two students.
“When there are three, one — generally a junior — sleeps on the floor,” said Zodingpuia.
There are four blocks for postgraduate and undergraduate students and a research students’ hostel block on the premises. Each floor of a block meant for the UG/PG students has three bathrooms and toilets for every 18 rooms. On a conservative estimate, 54 (18x3) students should queue up for six toilets and bathrooms.
SUNNY SIDE DOWN
Hostel inmates said they couldn’ t remember when was the last time the solar water heater panels installed on the terrace of the blocks worked. “None of them work and the geysers in the bathrooms also don’t work,” said Nagendra TC, a commerce student.
Lights in the corridors, too, were missing.
‘MESS’ED UP
The engineering students who are put up in Block A have to walk about a kilometre to have their meals. “Because the mess for us is that far,” said an engineering student.
UNSAFE BET
Safety of students should be the prime concern for any institution. The BU doesn’t seem to have compromised on that, but there are certain loopholes.
“There have been instances when students have lost valuables, as it’s easy for anyone to climb and enter through windows,” said Pavan.
ISSUES
Students crammed in rooms
Unclean premises, especially the bath area
No entertainment options
No hot water facility despite solar water heater panels
in place
No grills in windows
The distance of the mess from hostel block for engineering
students