Varsity to improve condition of dilapidated hostels

The University of Mumbai is making efforts to improve the condition of its existing hostels that are in a dilapidated condition and has also announced the setting up of new hostels that will accommodate 1,500 students to encourage and provide students a platform to pursue higher and further education. Vice-chancellor Dr Sanjay Deshmukh disclosed this during an interaction with stakeholders

recently. The hostels on the university’s campus at Kalina are in dire need of repairs and Dr Deshmukh said that the university was taking steps to ensure the safety of the students living in the hostels by commissioning repairs to the buildings as and when possible. “Renovation of the hostels is not possible while the students occupy the hostel rooms and hence we are looking at alternatives to relocate them before the restoration work can be undertaken,” said Dr Deshmukh.

He further added that due to the increased demand for hostel facilities the university would be erecting new hostels that would accommodate 1,000 male and 500 female students. This he said would be done after getting the go ahead from concerned authorities and work is expected to start on the same by 2017.

A university official said that while construction of new hostels was being pursued in real earnest, the university was looking for outside help to fund the same. “The university will be approaching corporates to share the expenses of constructing the new hostels from their CSR provisions. Talks for the same have been initiated and the university is awaiting responses from them,” said the official.

A few months ago, the Savitribai Phule Girls Hostel on the Vidyanagri campus had a fire incident that later turned out to be due to a short circuit in the mains as the wiring had become old. Last year the same hostel had instances of parts of the ceiling falling in the rooms. Similar instances of dilapidated rooms have also been reported in the Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil boys’ hostel also on the campus.