THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The future of the inmates of the Kerala University (KU) ladies’ hostel at Kariavattom, which collapsed a year ago, is hanging in the balance as the authorities still have not come up with a new shelter for the girls, though there were numerous promises.
The boys, who had vacated their hostel to accommodate the girls after the ladies’ hostel collapsed, announced a week ago that they would begin a series of protests to get their hostel back. They set a September 2 deadline and threatened the University authorities that they would forcefully regain possession of the boys’ hostel if the authorities did not find an alternative shelter for the girls before that date.
The move of the authorities to shift the girls to the International Youth Hostel of the University of Kerala at PMG is also unlikely to materialise, as the the girls have shown reluctance to move into the hostel. The representatives of the girls, who visited the Youth Hostel the other day, raised their concern over the weak security arrangements there. They also visited the Vice-Chancellor of the University and personally conveyed their grievances.
‘’What we witnessed at the hostel was pathetic. We even saw some boys jumping over the wall and entering the compound right in front of us,’’ said an inmate of the ladies’ hostel on condition of anonymity. The toilet facility at the Youth Hostel was also pathetic. There were already about 130 girls in the hostel. Over a hundred were expected to move in after the Onam vacations. The rooms in the Youth Hostel were not enough to accommodate all of them. Also, transportation to the campus from the hostel, situated about 15 km away, was a cause of concern, she added.
She also said that though the girls are concerned over the fact that they would lose their accommodation as the boys were adamant on regaining the hostel, the latter could not be blamed.
The boys, who were living in the University’s guest house and staff quarters scattered on the campus, said that they have been going through all sorts of troubles, including unhygienic living conditions and subsequent food poisoning.
Vice-Chancellor A Jayakrishnan refrained from responding to ‘Expresso’ on the matter. However, Registrar K A Hashim said that the delay in strengthening the security at the Youth Hostel was hit owing to the Onam celebrations and that the work would start on Thursday itself. He also said that a suggestion to relocate the girls to the teachers’ hostel on the campus was put forward in a meeting of the authorities. But, the space constraint in the teachers’ hostel may work against this idea.
There are only around 20 rooms in the teachers’ hostel and accommodating 130-odd inmates there would be nearly impossible. The move is also likely to ignite protests among the teachers as they are the one group which faces the threat of eviction whenever there is a crisis.
rejith@expressbuzz.com