Sudden notice to vacate hostel leaves BU students frazzled

FOR COVID CARE

Sudden notice to vacate hostel leaves BU students frazzled

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:01.07.2020

Chaos prevailed at Bangalore University’s hostel for SC/ST girls on Jnanabharathi campus. Reason: Students were asked to return and vacate their rooms at short notice. The government is taking over the building to convert it into a dedicated Covid hospital for patients with symptoms.

The students were contacted on Monday afternoon and asked to vacate their rooms by Tuesday. Those from districts like Belagavi and Raichur had to travel overnight, coughing up whopping sums on travel to reach the campus. The hostel has over 350 students, many of whom had returned home before and after the lockdown.

“My father and I started from Chitradurga at 10pm on Monday night. We packed tiffin, snacks, water and other essentials to ensure we didn’t have to stop on the way. We used public toilets in the morning and reached the campus by 6am. We paid Rs 8,000 for the cab. The journey has been tiresome,” said Roopashree BK, a student from Chitradurga.

For Anusha A, a student from Chintamani, the journey with her three friends cost her Rs 5,000. “We were among the luckier ones. There are others from far away districts, for whom the journey must have been even more expensive,” she said.

Even those within the city were hassled by the last-minute alert. “Getting a bus and taking all the luggage on it was very difficult. I waited for nearly an hour for a bus. There’s no common social media group for the students. So, some of them are still not aware of this development,” said Sangeetha HM, another student.

“The hostel also has students from other states and countries. They will either lose their personnel belongings or won’t be able to use them again once college restarts. Further, students from rural areas may not be taken back by their villages once they visit Bengaluru, because of the growing virus scare,” said another student, who alleged the officials were rude when they came to vacate the room.

According to a notification from BBMP, the BU SC/ ST hostel will be turned into a 400-bed hospital and the North East students hostel into a 350-bed facility.

BU officials have raised concerns over keeping the varsity offices open while the Covid facility functions from its campus.

TOLD TO PACK UP: A student leaves with her belongings from BU’s Jnanabharathi campus

The government told us to hand over hostels for a dedicated Covid hospital as soon as possible. While the hostel for NE students has been handed over already as it was yet to be occupied, BBMP was also keen on the BDA hostel for SC/ST students. The other hostels weren’t in good condition. We have students from other districts and states who have been affected by this sudden notice. We are requesting the government to give us some time to vacate the rooms. For students who cannot reach, we have to find a place to keep their belongings.

KR Venugopal

BANGALORE UNIVERSITY VC