Coronavirus lockdown: Panjab University to handover two hostels to Chandigarh administration by Tuesday

The decision comes a day after UT adviser Manoj Parida said only PU’s international students’ hostel will be used for the time being

Panjab University has decided to handover two hostels to be used as isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients to the UT administration, by Tuesday.

Earlier, the Chandigarh administration had directed PU to handover four hostels to be used as isolation facilities and health care centres for Covid-19 patients. (HT)

The decision comes a day after UT adviser Manoj Parida said only PU’s international students’ hostel will be used for the time being. “We have decided to handover the international students’ hostel and girls’ hostel number 10 to the Chandigarh administration by Tuesday,” PU registrar Karamjeet Singh said.

Earlier, the Chandigarh administration had directed PU to handover four hostels to be used as isolation facilities and health care centres for Covid-19 patients. The move was widely criticised by students of the varsity. The university said hostel wardens will take care of keeping the belongings of students safe. “Once the two hostels are handed over to UT administration, no student will be allowed to enter,” an official spokesperson of PU said.

A day after Parida’s tweet, the number of students visiting hostels to collect their belongings saw a steep decline. After 350 students visited the varsity on Saturday, only 45 turned up on Sunday, officials said.

National Students Union of India’s PU president Nikhil Narmeta said, “We are not opposing the move, but it should have been done more systematically. Many students wanted to come and take their belongings, but they did not get passes.”