A section of residents of Eden Hindu Hostel held a sit-in outside the dean of students’ office since Tuesday, demanding the reopening of three wards that have been lying in disrepair over the years.
The students withdrew the protest on Thursday evening, following a meeting with the dean, Arun Kumar Maity. A committee has been formed to look into the students' demands, university sources said.
Calls and text messages from this newspaper to the dean went unanswered.
About 110 students now stay in the two wards of Hindu Hostel — 1 and 2 — which were opened in November 2018 after repairs, following months of protests by the students.
The protesting students said over 200 students from districts could have been accommodated had the remaining three wards been repaired on time.
A section of students is being forced to stay in rented accommodation, paying through their nose, as the university has failed to provide them with residential facilities, the protesting students alleged.
The boys’ hostel, adjacent to the Presidency campus, had been shut for repairs on July 29, 2015. Wards 1 and 2 were opened on November 26, 2018.
A student said it had been over four-and-a-half-years since, but the authorities have failed to complete the repairs.
Sheikh Sahidul, who stays in Hindu Hostel, said only 110 students are staying in the hostel, against its capacity to accommodate 330.
“So, a section of students from districts are staying in paying guest (PG) accommodation because the three wards are still closed. The rent of PG accommodation in and around central Kolkata is quite high. Why do they have to pay because of the failure of the university administration?” Sahidul, who is from Murshidabad, asked while speaking to The Telegraph.
Another protesting student said they were more concerned about the "lack of intent" of the authorities regarding the reopening of the hostel.
Among the protesters were students who had forced their way into the hostel on March 17 last year after breaking locks and have been staying there since.
Students had been staying on the campus since February 16, 2022, to protest the university’s decision to not immediately reopen Wards 1 and 2, though the campus had been opened for in-person classes after the two-year Covid-induced shutdown.
“Even for getting back the two wards, we had to protest. Education minister Bratya Basu had to call then Presidency vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia for immediate reopening of the hostel," said a protesting student.
Sources on the campus said a funds crunch was one reason why repairs could not be undertaken.
Last updated on 28 Jul 2023
