NEW DELHI: The condition of hostels at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is in shambles. Incidents of roof collapse, leakage from walls, short circuits in wires and the dilapidated condition of corridors and dining halls are a major concern for the students and staff.
In a recent incident, a student had a narrow escape, when a portion of the roof fell in the balcony of his room in the Periyar hostel. According to Vijay Pradhan, a huge chunk of the roof crumbled down on the balcony, but he did not get hurt. Vijay is a physically challenged student, studying French.
The condition of other hostels is more or less the same. Even the newer built hostels are facing the same problem. The damped walls have made living conditions unbearable. “Rooms stink due to seepage in walls and even the walls outside our rooms are in a pathetic shape,” said staff from Koyna hostel.
The water dripping from roofs can be dangerous for students walking in the corridor. Meenakshi Khanal, a PhD scholar and resident of Sabarmati hostel said that many a time she and her friends slipped while walking in the corridor. She added that the condition of rooms and dining rooms in many hostels has not changed at all.
Condemning the insensitive approach of the JNU administration towards the student community, Adarsh Kumar, JNU AISA President, said that the administration should immediately use the sanctioned fund of `56 crores for renovation work without any delay.
Meanwhile, ABVP JNU President Rohit Kumar said, “We have demanded a blueprint of the renovation plan of the hostel but haven’t received it yet.” Kumar added that the administration should not turn a blind eye toward the infrastructure of hostels while spending on renovating Vice Chancellor’s residence.
The reporter of this newspaper tried to contact Dean of Students (DOS) Sudhir Pratap Singh, but he was not available for any comment. A senior official from the administration said that a statement will be released soon.
‘Don’t turn blind eye towards bad infra’
Condemning the insensitive approach of the JNU administration towards students, Adarsh Kumar, JNU AISA President, said that the administration should use the sanctioned fund of `56 crores for renovation work without any delay. ABVP JNU President Rohit Kumar also said the administration should not turn a blind eye toward the infrastructure of hostels.