Authorities of Raiganj University acted swiftly to approve the application of a visually impaired undergraduate student so that she can stay at the varsity girls’ hostel.

Sunita Roy, who hails from a village in Karandighi block of North Dinajpur district and is pursuing the English honours course at the varsity, was requesting hostel accommodation for the past six months.

Banhishikha Bhattacharya, the hostel superintendent, however, didn’t approve Sunita’s requests and cited a number of reasons, including the presence of poisonous snakes at the hostel.

On Friday, Sunita met Sanchari Roy Mukherjee, the vice-chancellor, and sought her intervention. Sunita said she needed to travel around 90km every day to study, which was proving to be difficult. The Telegraph on Saturday published a report highlighting her plight.

As the issue came to light, a number of faculty members and officials of the district education department that looks after the needs of special students backed her and questioned the varsity for putting a sightless girl in difficulty.

The VC convened meetings of the executive council and hostel monitoring committee later on Friday, where it was decided that Sunita would get accommodation at the hostel in Collegepara of Raiganj town.

“Based on what the student told me, we convened the meetings. She can stay at the hostel. As Sunita is visually impaired, we have decided to allow her younger sister to stay with her for some days. Her sister is trained to help her. We are there to extend all possible help to the student,” said the VC.

District officials will look into the problem of snakes at the hostel on a priority basis, sources said. Sunita, who had been trying for hostel accommodation since last September and was fearful as to whether she would be able to continue with her studies, was all smiles on Saturday.

“I will stay indebted to the VC and everyone else who enabled my stay at the hostel. Now I won’t have to commute long distances daily,” she said.