270 rooms vacant, yet students evicted from hostels, says APPSC IIT Bombay

NEW DELHI: Ambedkar Periyar and Phule Study Circle (APPSC) has raised objections against the clarification of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) for allegedly evicting students due to lack of rooms.

The APPSC IIT Bombay has claimed that the mess bill data shows that there are over 270 vacant rooms in three hostels of the institution. “The administration has not yet released the official data on vacant rooms,” it added.

Students of @iitbombay are protesting for the last two days against the move to evict them citing lack of rooms, when mess bill data clearly shows that there are over 270 vacant rooms in just 3 hostels. The administration has not yet released the official data on vacant rooms. pic.twitter.com/8rHGbO0QJW

— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) November 24, 2023

The APPSC IIT Bombay has claimed that the move to “evict” PhD students in such an arbitrary way hints at more than mismanagement, but for creating rooms for guests during Mood Indigo and Inter IIT sports meet that will be held in December. The admin has not been transparent on the issue of vacant rooms, it added.

IIT Bombay’s clarification

The APPSC along with other students of IIT Bombay has been protesting for the last two days against the eviction move. The institution in its statement said, “IIT Bombay is currently facing a severe shortage of rooms, for two main reasons. First, there has been a significant increase in student intake due to the implementation of EWS quota and female supernumerary seats, as well as an increase in the number of PhD students overall. Second, we have lost three hostels (H7, H8 and the old wings of H4) which had to be demolished due to structural issues making them unsafe for occupation.”

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It added that it has expedited construction work and planning of four new hostels and extension wings of three others.