Power cuts, unhygienic food, unclean toilets and everything else that plagues hostellers at Madurai Kamaraj University

More than 100 hostel students of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) staged a protest in front of the Vice-Chancellor's bungalow. 

Their demand was that issues like water scarcity, power supply, hygienic food and cleanliness in the hostel need to be looked into.

In Kurunji (research scholars), Maligai (second year) and Thamarai hostels on the Madurai Kamaraj University campus, over 200 women reside. Currently, the bathroom doors are worn out and even the tiles on the roof have been damaged. Glasses of the windows are broken and students are managing by covering the windows with old papers to bar insects from entering. Not to forget, the mosquito menace which is common in the hostel.

On the condition of anonymity, a girl student shared that unhygienic conditions of bathrooms, broken walls and algae formation on walls are also causing the hostellers trouble.

It is from Sunday, May 8, that students have been facing acute water shortage and even a snake entered one of the rooms of the hostel on the same day. 

"There is no regular cleaning of the dust bin which is utilised for disposing of used sanitary napkins. The available incinerator fitted in the bathroom is not working. There is water tank leakage which affected the open terrace posing algae problems. The taste of the food is unhygienic and students are facing food poisoning issues and are undergoing treatment at MKU hospital. We also face other problems in the hostel like pipes which are in need of repair, the RO not functioning, unclean and dirty rooms," she said.

Though a complaint was lodged with the authorities, they were of no help. Following their protest, Vice-Chancellor J Kumar heard the students' issue and assured them accordingly.