Lady Shri Ram College asks students to vacate hostel 'abruptly' for repairs; residents worried

NEW DELHI: The hostel residents of Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College For Women are a worried lot these days as the college "abruptly" asked them to vacate the 260-room facility by the end of this month for repair works, without making any alternative arrangement for them.

"Where will we go mid-semester?" asked a student, complaining they are unable to find a viable accommodation for themselves. The hostel notification has come as a shock to the students as they go house-hunting after classes, but are met with a dearth of flats in nearby areas and high rental for PG accommodation.

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The authorities decided to get the hostel vacated and repaired after an inmate recently suffered injuries after a bathroom cubicle roof collapsed. Lady Shri Ram College has a small 260-room hostel that is allocated to first-year students based on merit across categories. The hostel authorities have informed the students that their security deposit will be refunded along with the fee for the remaining term. However, the hostel residents are not happy. They said they want alternative accommodation.

"The mail (asking students to vacate the hostel) was very sudden. Several meetings were held and we were informed that the inspection of the building is underway and repair work might begin. Only once it was mentioned that in drastic situations we might be asked to leave. But it was never discussed. Suddenly, a mail came to all of us Tuesday afternoon that we have to vacate the hostel," said a first-year student who did not wish to be named.

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"We are attending classes and going on a search to find accommodation in the budget, But it appears difficult to find one the in middle of a semester. We are worried," she said. The students are disappointed as the hostel authorities did not make any alternative arrangements for them. "The warden informed us that the hostel is inspected thoroughly before the start of the semester.

But if a thorough inspection was conducted how come they realised that it should be vacated just now?" asked a student, named Karishma. "They should have made alternative arrangements for us because it is mid-semester. Where will students go mid-semester"?" When asked about it on Tuesday, LSR College Principal Suman Sharma refused to comment. The students are also worried that if 260 students leave the hostel at the same time, PG owners might raise the rent in view of the high demand. "The PG owners are quoting Rs 25,000. In the hostel, we used to pay 7,000. It is more than three times the amount we pay," said a student. As things stand, several residents say they will refuse to leave the hostel. "They are ready to take risks to live here rather than going out in search of a flat," said a student. "But the warden denied us the permission."