Fresh hostel allotment begins at Panjab University

In fresh hostel allotment that began at Panjab University (PU) for the first time after the lockdown, 20 PhD scholars were provided accommodation on campus on Monday.

Earlier, only those PhD scholars and MPhil students who were earlier residing in hostels were allowed to return.

Last week, the varsity had decided to provide hostel accommodation to PhD students who were enrolled/registered before the lockdown (March 23, 2020). PU has also allowed final-year students of various courses, governed by different regulatory bodies, to return.

Response bleak on Day 1

Not many PhD scholars, however, showed up on the first day of hostel allotment, and the response is expected to increase in the coming days.

Many PhD scholars, who were enrolled before lockdown but were not able to get hostel accommodation, were waiting for the varsity to start fresh allotment. Many PhD students of the varsity were also residing at rented accommodations in the peripheral areas of the varsity.

A PhD scholar, on the condition of anonymity, said, “I was enrolled before the lockdown and I have been living in a rented accommodation since August last year.”

PU has still not started hostel allotment for students of new batches of various undergraduate and postgraduate courses; newly-enrolled PhD scholars, too, have been asked to wait.

Dean student welfare (women) professor Sukhbir Kaur said, “All standard operating procedures related to Covid-19 will be strictly followed.”