Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday laid the foundation stone of a new boys’ hostel at Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Sector 12, Chandigarh. To be built at a cost of ₹17 crore, the boys’ hostel building will house 309 students.
The building addresses issues students raised regarding overcrowding and infrastructure lapses across the institute’s hostels, including double occupancy, poorly maintained washrooms, delayed furniture allotment, and the absence of a formal student body to raise these concerns.
The proposed hostel, scheduled for completion within 18 months, will comprise a ground floor plus six upper floors (G+6) with a total built-up area of 78,400 square feet. It will have 103 triple-sharing rooms accommodating 309 students. The hostel will also include two guest rooms and one warden’s room to facilitate hostel administration and accommodate visitors.
With the new hostel’s completion, the overall accommodation capacity at PEC will increase by 728 students, from 2,178 to 2,906. Other than the new boys’ hostel, PEC has two more projects lined up, including the extension of the girls’ hostel building and a new hostel building to be made for research scholars. With these three hostel projects, the overall accommodation capacity at PEC will increase by 728 students, from 2,178 to 2,906.