HYDERABAD : 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.
According to university regulations, open-category students must pay a per-semester room rent of Rs 500, while SC/ST 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, Rs 800 for OBC category students and Rs 500 for SC/ST category students. This fee 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.
