Sambalpur: Students of Sambalpur University Wednesday blocked the approach road between National Highway and university’s main gate demanding fulfilment of their long-standing demands that included expansion of hostel facilities on the campus and round the clock availability of water.
Speaking to Orissa POST, student leaders Manoj Sahu, Abhisek Mahanta and Pragnya Paramita said the alibis given by the varsity authorities that all hostels are chock-a-block and there is no vacancy are not acceptable. They alleged over 100 students are deprived of hostel facilities and are being forced to stay outside the campus.
Hostel rooms are invariably overcrowded and there is scarcity of water on the campus. Students stay in hostels with no water in their bathrooms and toilets.
Registrar Sanjat Sahu said girls and boys have four hostels each. All these hostels are full. Some students are deprived of hostel rooms as the demand is more than the availability of rooms on the campus. Students should understand the problem. But, they are agitating to press their demands, he added.
“We have assured them of arranging accommodation for 60 students in some staff quarters by this evening and accommodation for another 60 students by September 25. The whole campus is plagued by water scarcity for long. The public health engineering department (PHED) has paid no heed to our complaints. Water tankers from PHED have arrived after our requisition Wednesday,” the registrar said.
He said there are ruptures in water pipelines near the planetarium crossing that are being repaired on a war-footing measure. Meanwhile, it was decided to sink tube wells in front of hostels to meet urgent water requirement of students. PNN