A conflict has arisen between the students and the University of Hyderabad (UoH) management over hostel accommodation facilities.
Long-standing issues such as poorly maintained hostel rooms, an unhygienic mess, low-quality food, a lack of drinking water, and neglected washrooms, fans, and electrical fittings came to light when the chief warden asked 60 PhD students from the 2018 batch to vacate the hostel due to a shortage of rooms.
It's worth noting that the hostel facilities were closed during the summer vacation, and the administration demanded additional charges for accommodations outside the academic session.
According to university regulations, open-category students must pay a per-semester room rent of Rs 500, while SC/ST (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe) students are granted free lodging during academic sessions.
During the summer vacation, the university charges additional fees for students who opt to utilise the hostel accommodation. The fees vary based on the student's category: Rs 1,000 for open category students, `800 for OBC category students and Rs 500 for SC/ST category students. This fee structure has been met with criticism from students, who argue that it is unjustified.
The issue is not limited only to the summer vacations, but the regular academic sessions when the students are struggling to find accommodation on campus.
The problem of insufficient accommodation for students at the university extends beyond summer vacations and affects regular academic sessions.
The campus has 23 hostels — 10 for women and 13 for men which can accommodate about 4,500 people — but these are not enough to accommodate over 5,000 students admitted each academic year.
The available hostels are inadequate, as the university has introduced new courses without considering the increasing number of students and the need for more hostel rooms, the students added.
‘Representation ignored’
Students have made several representations to the chief warden over the last few months regarding the issue of accommodation and room and mess-related facilities. However, these representations have not been successful, and students are now demanding the resignation of the chief warden.
Ateeq Ahmed, President of the UoH Students' Union, told The New Indian Express, "We have been giving representation to the chief warden for over two months now to address our grievances. However, we have met with cold and arrogant responses from the warden in every meeting. We have been insisting on a conversation and discussion to find a way to resolve hostel issues, but these have been dismissed. We are urging the warden not to discontinue the hostel facility for the PhD students of the 2018 batch. We have also been demanding the construction of new hostel buildings for over two years now and improvements to the living conditions in the rooms and food quality, which the warden has ignored."
The students have expressed their frustration with the excessive micro-management of hostel affairs by the chief warden, which has rendered individual hostel wardens powerless. They have to seek approval from the chief warden even for minor repair works, which adds to their difficulties, they added.
The students are planning a protest from July 18 to demand the resignation of the warden, believing that the problems have worsened since the new chief warden took charge.
