The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : OU hostels in dilapidated condition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 03, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

OU hostels in dilapidated condition

Staff Reporter

Poor maintenance renders the hostels uninhabitable

— Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

At last: After a hue and cry from the teaching faculty and other personnel, the officials of Osmania University have started renovation of staff quarters.

HYDERABAD: The cramped room was nothing short of a barrack trying to accommodate students exceeding its capacity. Thanks to the weeds that have mushroomed around the building, snakes pay regular visit to the inmates who again have to go out for ablutions as the room lacks an attached rest room. Stinky air envelopes the surroundings credit for which should go to the drainage system that chokes every alternate day.

This is the condition of a room in Hostel – A at Osmania University, in which 10 research scholars including three PhD fellows were put up, after their agitation for accommodation.

Owing to the apathy of university authorities who haven’t shown interest in maintaining the hostels they are uninhabitable.

“M. Phil and PhD students should be given single rooms, but we have to adjust in this room,” said D. Sailu, an M. Phil scholar in history. Postgraduate students are hostile towards the scholars as they have to share their rooms with them. S. Vittal also a scholar from history department said he has not been allotted a room for the past two years.

They complain about the inability of the authorities who are not in a position to send the non-boarders out.

Hostel – C that houses PG students is in a rundown condition with a decayed asbestos roof and a sewerage that is always choked. “Everything from rain to cats is pouring down from the old roof. The layers of concrete roof are also pealing off every now and then,” said Naresh, an archaeology student. “The drainage pipelines are always choked and we have to bear with this (pungent) smell,” said Hathiram Naik, his classmate. Power shutdowns and poor water supplies are adding to their woes. Above all, they were asked to leave their rooms when Groups’ exams are around corner.

The condition of staff quarters is not much different either. “We don’t have drinking water supply, security is a big headache with nobody taking care of staff quarters,” told a faculty member. Renovation work has started recently after some hectic efforts by the staff. The faculty are accusing the Building Division for its negligence and corruption.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh