Asked to take their belongings away from hostel rooms by tomorrow, students write to Punjab CM

Apart from converting the Government Meritorious School and hostels of Global Institutes and Amritsar College of Engineering, four girls’ hostels and three boys’ hostels are going to be used as Covid-19 Care Centre

AMRITSAR Amritsar deputy commissioner (DC) Shivdular Singh Dhillon’s move to convert hostels of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) here into Covid-19 care centres have left the hostellers in lurch as they have been asked to take their belongings away from their rooms by Sunday.

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Apart from converting the Government Meritorious School and hostels of Global Institutes and Amritsar College of Engineering, four girls’ hostels and three boys’ hostels are going to be used as Covid-19 Care Centre.

Some hostellers told HT that they have been told over phone by respective wardens to vacate the rooms completely by Sunday. “After hearing this news, there is a panic among students about their belongings in the hostel rooms. In this epidemic situation we are unable to come to the hostels to collect our belongings,” said a law student hailing from Haryana.

In a letter written by some students to Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, it is stated, “Thousands of students residing in the university hostels are from other states. Many students have left their important documents in hostels and there are chances of these documents getting misplaced and if this happens, who will be responsible?”

In a tweet to the CM and the Punjab DGP, a girl student said, “Students are asked to take away their belongings by Sunday else it (sic) will be sealed by hostel authorities themselves. It is clear violation of privacy. Help us please”.

Another student said, “There would be risk to the health of students if Covid-19 patients are isolated in the hostels and any virus remains there despite sanitisation”. Notably, some research scholars are still staying in their hostels. They have been asked to vacate the hostel immediately, which is not possible for them amid the lockdown.

Dhillon said, “We have asked the GNDU to constitute a committee to supervise the removal of students’ belongings from the rooms with proper videography in case they are not able to come. These can be placed in a big hall.”

“Many students have taken away their belongings. We have constituted a committee under the supervision of dean (students welfare) to shift the belongings from the hostels to a place where these will be secured.The students who are unable to come need not worry,” said Karanjit Singh Kahlon, GNDU registrar.

He added, “We have not asked research scholars to vacate the hostel rooms.”