MEMORANDUM FOR HOSTEL PROBLEMS

INDIAN NATIONAL STUDENTS ORGANISATION

MEMORANDUM

Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) wants to draw attention of Panjab University authorities towards various hostel problems & need to put prices of Students centre & market under control for the students of PU.

The problem of hostels was discussed with your good self many times by INSO delegation in this academic session, the previous year on September 2, 2007. The matter was again discussed with you on November 23, 2007, after the election of PU students Council, when you had accepted our contention & need of more hostels. Both the matters were widely reported in local media on September 3 & November 24 last year. We had also raised this vital student issue with UT Administrator, His Excellency, Gen. (Retd.) S. F. Rodrigues last year. But the issue is yet to be sorted out to the satisfaction of the students’ community of PU.

1. PU should constitute a committee involving students’ representatives, which should put limit on the rates of all commodities available in the Students Centre and PU market. The rates of the food items should be less than the general market, where as these are either at par or more than that. PU may waive off the rents in the larger interests of the students community or charge same rents from all the shopkeepers.

2. Some departments like diploma students of Psychology has now been denied hostels, where as they have been living in the hostels earlier. All students should be provided hostels and PU should make some interim arrangements like vacating hostels meant for students and converting more buildings into hostels for the time being.

3. As more number of seats are going to be increased from next year, INSO reiterates that PU should plan and construct four boys & four girls hostels this year, So that students may not have to face same problems next year.

4. INSO also requests you to make a uniform policy for allotment of hostel accommodation. All the lists of new admissions in hostels should be available at all the hostels and on PU website along with the percentage of the students. PU hostel policy should also be available on PU website, so that there is more transparency in hostel admissions. As per the fundamental ‘Right of Equality’ embedded in our constitution, there should not be any discretion or favouritism on such vital issues.


5. PU should divide the hostel fees as well as hostel admission fees among those students, being forced to share rooms against their wishes or entitlement. INSO also want to draw your attention towards two or three senior girls and boys’ students of UIET, BDS, Pharmacy and other departments being provided one cubicle room, meant for one student. If there is crunch of hostel accommodation/seats, then PU has no right to earn over their adversities.

6. All other hostel funds should also be divided among the students as they are using the facility meant for one student.


7. INSO also want to reiterate its long pending demand of separate hostels for PhD scholars. PhD scholars are given separate hostels in all other universities; we should also provide them separate hostels as per their seniority. INSO has been raising the issue for the last two years.

8. Reading room facility should be available at all Girls hostels. It is urgently required as girls cannot enter hostels after 9 PM or 9.30 PM, they cannot avail University Library after that time. The entry time of all the girls’ hostels should be 10.00 PM and uniform for all the girls hostels.

9. Girls should not be bound by the compulsion to eat at hostels mess. There should not be any fine for not eating.

10. PU should ensure proper functioning of WI- FI system in every hostel and related departments.

11. Hostel facilities for BDS and UIET students should be provided in the Sec-25 Campus only.

12. PU should provide vehicle facility for UIET and BDS students of Sec-25 campus from their respective hostels in PU main campus.

13. Regular check ups should be done to check food and hygiene in every mess and canteen of the university.

14. Provision of basic infrastructure and bathroom facilities in all hostels.


Sukhdev Kundu Deepak Hooda
Chairman, PU Unit, INSO President, PU Campus