Hyderabad: With hostels in the University of Hyderabad (UoH) being in a state of disrepair, the student body will stage a protest around 2.30 pm in front of the chief warden’s office on Thursday. Students said they have been struggling with the appalling conditions in the hostels for long.
"In ladies hostels 1 and 2, students are forced to share single occupancy rooms with insufficient storage and unsanitary washrooms. Even the few washrooms that are available are unusable due to lack of plumbing and electrical maintenance. This situation is particularly dire for physically-challenged students, who have very few accessible facilities," said a second year student.
A recently renovated washroom door in LH 3 recently fell off and nearly injured a hosteller.
"The absence of maintenance has led to an overgrowth of weeds, and the presence of snakes and frogs has become a common sight. The lack of proper thresholds has resulted in these creatures entering the rooms, causing panic among students," she said.
"We often have to walk to another hostel at midnight just to find drinking water. Non-functional water coolers have not been replaced, leading to severe water shortage," said a PG student.
The quality of food in the mess has also plummeted, they said, while prices in campus canteens have skyrocketed, making it difficult for underprivileged students to afford meals.
Despite these pressing issues, the chief warden has chosen to respond with eviction drives, slapping extraordinary fines and issuing threatening circulars, the students alleged.
The eviction notices have particularly targeted 2017 and 2018 batch PhD scholars, who are paying to stay on campus even without any impending PhD admissions.
Transparency in hostel purchases remains a significant issue, with no clear mechanisms for buying essential plumbing and electrical supplies.
The students' union has listed several demands, including hostel extensions for the 2018 PhD batch, withdrawal of circulars 817 and 813, revocation of fines for summer vacation stays and immediate construction of new hostels. They are also calling for transparency in hostel purchases, resolving mess issues and cessation of threats towards union representatives.
Students decry ‘unlivable’ conditions
