IIEST has asked its engineering department to get the hostels ready before students are called back to the campus to attend in-person classes, an official of the Shibpur institute said.
The official said the hostels, especially the ones for third-year students, are in poor shape and repairs are likely to cost Rs 20 lakh.
“We are working on a plan to call the students of second and third-year from the even semester. Since repairs are pending, those in third year could be brought to the campus in February. Second-year students will come after the arrival of those in third year,” the official said.
The original plan was to recall the second and third-year students to the campus in January. Final-year BTech students were called to the campus in November to attend practical classes.
The hostel rooms have remained closed since March 2020, when campuses across the country were vacated as a precaution against Covid-19.
Maintenance of the hostels took a hit because of thin attendance of the staff amid the pandemic.
“We have told the institute’s engineering department, which maintains the hostels, to get the facilities ready. A meeting on the status of the preparedness was held with the dean of students’ affairs, Debabrata Majumder, and hostel superintendents on Wednesday,” IIEST chief warden Sudipta Mukhopadhyay said.
An official of the institute said that according to an initial estimate, the hostels for third-year students need immediate repair of the civil infrastructure.
“Based on the status of preparedness, students will be intimated about the recall schedule,” he said.
The IIEST student’s senate, which represents all students of the institute, had earlier written to director Parthasarathi Chakrabarti, demanding resumption of in-person classes, citing digital divide and unstable Net connectivity in many places.
Harshvardhan Singh, general secretary of the students’ senate, said: “We want the authorities to start repairs at the earliest. Otherwise, students on the wrong side of the digital divide will continue to suffer. Besides, engineering students need to attend practical classes, which cannot be held on digital platforms,” he said.
Chief warden Mukhopadhay said: “We are looking forward to bringing the students back at the earliest once the hostels are repaired.”