As Delhi University prepares to reopen, the wait for hostel rooms may be long

Following its decision to reopen, the university swung into action to bring all undergraduate and postgraduate students back to classes from February 17. The process of cleaning and repair has been started on a war footing.

However, the application process for admission to hostels cannot be expedited.

Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari, principal of Maharaja Agrasen, was quoted as saying by the news agency, “The hostel has a capacity to accommodate 56 students. We have started preparing the rooms by applying a fresh coat of paint on the walls. The room allotment process is online. was done.” College, as the saying goes.

Indraprastha Mahila College Principal Babli Moitra Saraf expects that the application process for the college hostel will start from Friday. But he also cast doubts on whether students would be able to return to colleges in such a short period of time.

“Restoration, deep cleaning and sanitation are the things we will take care of. But there are more important things like admission in hostel for first and second year students to do first. We are making a list of seats and vacancies availability. ,” He said.

“By tomorrow evening, we will start the application process. Accordingly, we will open the hostel as the students are coming. We will have to wait and see how the situation unfolds,” he said.

Another task for the college administration is to ensure that the rooms are ventilated and have enough space for two students.

“We have to see the size of the room and if it is a small room, then only one student will be allowed. The hostel list may not come on February 17 and it will take a few more days. It usually happens every year at Kirori Mal College Principal Vibha Chauhan said that after the admission process is over, the hostel list is prepared.

Chouhan agreed with Saraf and said that they would start the hostel allotment first.

Chouhan said, “First we will invite applications from students who want to stay in the hostel and then prepare a merit list. There is a hostel committee which will look into it. We will follow the normal procedure.”

Pankaj Arora, Dean Students Welfare, DU, said, “There is a management committee in each hostel and they will decide on the further procedures. We had a meeting with the hostel provost a day before yesterday (Tuesday) and we told them the process. It was advised to complete the hostel allotment online so that the students know where they are going after returning to Delhi.

Arora said, “It is the prerogative of the hostel to arrange for the isolation facility and if the students wish, they can complete their three-day isolation period elsewhere and then come back to the hostel.”

Apart from ensuring that social distancing guidelines are followed, to check the safe resumption of offline academic activities, the authorities are also faced with the colossal task of ensuring speedy allotment of rooms to outside students.

DU colleges were closed in March 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The university had given its nod to resume the practical session in February last year, but the classes were postponed in March after the second wave hit.

In September, the university allowed final year students of UG and PG to return to the campus, but attendance was low.

With inputs from agencies.