When will Pondicherry University reopen its campus? The date will most likely be revealed in a day or two. But that has done little to dial down the voices of students who staged a protest for that very same reason.
When contacted, a varsity spokesperson said, "We have held entrance exams and once the results are published, we are planning to reopen the campus in a phased manner as per the Government of India's instructions." When asked if there is an official schedule or a notification regarding the reopening of the campus, he said, "It is expected to come in a day or two, we are working on it," he added.
Meanwhile, students organised a protest calling for the reopening the Pondicherry University campus that has been on lockdown since March. The protest by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) who conducted in front of the varsity gates on September 14. Pondicherry University Students' Council (PUSU) president, Parichay Yadav, who was part of it, said, "We have been doing this campaign for a long time. It is an urgent need now to reopen the campus. Other universities have released notifications and started calling students in a phased manner."
The students demanded that the campus be reopened after providing vaccination to all the students. "We have already set up four vaccination camps for all teaching and non-teaching staff as well as for research scholars. When the campus will reopen, students will also get vaccinations. We will conduct special camps, that is not a problem. We will definitely do it, said the spokesperson.
Apart from the demand to reopen, the protestors, once again, raised the question of why students are required to pay the fees for sports, laboratory, and lab facilities which they are not using as the campus is closed.
