Men in misery as ladies hostel work gets delayed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The delay in the construction of the new ladies’ hostel on Kerala University (KU) campus has more to do with the inmates of the men’s hostel than with the girls. It was in 2009 that a portion of the ladies’ hostel had collapsed and the girls were shifted to the men’s hostel.The boys who left their hostel, as a result, moved to staff quarters, researchers’ hostel and teachers’ hostel. Even after two years, the construction has not even reached halfway, leaving the boys in misery. The delay has also sprung serious issues related to the security of the boys.Two weeks ago, Sushob C V, an MBA student at IMK and an inmate of the staff quarters was seriously beaten up by outsiders in, reportedly, a case of mistaken identity. The students take food from the guest house, which is quite far from where they stay.“The mess is in the guest house and we have to travel almost one km to have food. It is very difficult to travel a lot after our classes,” says Anwar Jalal, a resident of the staff quarters. Recently, more than thirty students who ate lunch from the guest house complained of food poisoning.The guests and part-time research scholars have to stay in other hostels because there is no facility to stay on the university premises."As the teachers’ hostel and the guest house are provided for the boys, we have to stay in lodges and hostels outside,’’ says Simi Varghese, a part-time research scholar.Although the University authorities say that the construction of the new hostel building will be over in ten months, even the foundation of the buildings has not been completed."Only 80 per cent of the column works and foundation of the kitchen blocks have been completed and now we are busy with the pillar construction,’’ says Gopakumar, Chief Engineer of the work.The financial assistance of Rs 2.6 crore to set up the new hostel was contributed by the State SC Welfare Department. But, University Public Relations Officer S D Prins says that the main reason for the lagging of the construction of the new ladies’ hostel is lack of funds.University Vice-Chancellor A Jayakrishnan said that a new hostel which can accommodate more than a hundred students would be erected near the old one within six months.