BENGALURU: In a bid to increase its bed capacity, the state government is converting college hostels into Covid Care Centres. A hurried decision was taken on Tuesday, leaving both students and college managements in a tight spot.Student unions have claimed that students were asked to pick up their luggage and leave, on short notice. College administrations are expecting complete closure of campuses to facilitate turning hostels into quarantine centres, which not just delays resumption of academic activities but also spreads a sense of fear among students.
At the University Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, girls had to be hurriedly moved into the boys’ hostel. “It was stressful,” said UAS Vice-Chancellor Rajendra Prasad. The institute has three girls’ hostels which can accommodate 600 inmates. While many have gone home, some researchers, including students from ICAR, Kota, and even foreign students, have stayed back to complete their experiments for Kharif crops.
Doctors started arriving on campus on Tuesday, leaving students agitated. Those who had left their belongings in the hostel and gone home, are struggling to move them to safer places. Many of them said they had left behind valuables. “There is a need to keep their belongings safe,” said Students’ Federation of India state secretary K Vasudevareddy. “Also, why are gender and caste minority hostels being used for this?”
The Postgraduate and Research Students’ Union, Bangalore University, had also written to the V-C against converting hostels on the university campus into Covid facilities, when a team led by the vice-chancellor and BBMP commissioner inspected the hostels on June 29. Two girls’ hostels in Bangalore University — BDA Hostel and North East Hostel — have been earmarked as quarantine centres for 200 inmates. Bangalore University V-C KR Venugopal said an oral request was made to the health department to take over the hostels only after all hotels in the city are filled up.
The university has decided to allow all teachers to work from home till July 31. This short notice has created tension among students, said Apoorva CM, vice-president, AIDSO Bengaluru District Committee, adding that those who reside in districts like Kalaburagi, Bidar, Dharwad were deeply distressed.Citing practical difficulties due to the ongoing examination at its main campus, PES Insitute of Technology has decided not to allocate hostels there. However, Chancellor Prof MR Doreswamy said the boys’ hostel on the second campus at Electronics City and free to quarantine 100 inmates.
Corona care in Seven more institutions
With the number of coronavirus cases on the rise in Bengaluru, BBMP had decided to convert more institutions into Covid Care Centres, where those suspected to be infected and asymptomatic patients will be accommodated. The BBMP commssioner directed officials from these institutions to meet BBMP officials and undertake necessary measures
No quarantine centre at IISc women’s hostel
A women’s hostel at IISc was being considered for a quarantine centre, but the idea was put on hold after an unfavourable response from students. An IISc official said the initiative was for the welfare of students and the institute. IISc has already reported three positive cases on campus, and stopped re-entry of students. “The initial cases were among the staff. The management has released a circular warning about expulsion from hostels if students do not follow rules. How is that logical when a person under quarantine is asked to leave hostel?” a student said.
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