Sprucing-up the halls: First phase of AMU’s campaign comes to an end

The campaign was to ask students to vacate hostel rooms, bag and baggage before the summer vacation and allowing monitored allocation of hostel rooms

Abiding by her priority to spruce up the hostels (called halls at AMU), the first woman vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Prof Naima Khatoon, completed week-long inspections to assess cleanliness and upkeep of hostels.

Prof Naima Khatoon inspecting the Begum Azizun Hall, AMU (HT Photo)

Ever since taking over office as vice-chancellor, Prof Khatoon had expressed her priority to spruce up the halls of residence by getting the hostels cleaned and maintained for a better living experience for the students.

Prof Khatoon had stressed that only bonafide students avail the facility of residing in hostels.

The campaign was called a drive to assess cleanliness and facilities but the basic aim, as many believe, was to ask students to vacate hostel rooms, bag and baggage before the summer vacation and allowing monitored allocation of hostel rooms to bonafide students so as to weed out anti-social elements.

Time is going to tell how successful the new V-C has been in her efforts but many have welcomed the beginning of the process.

This campaign has been going on for the entire summer vacation, and from July 18 to 24, the vice-chancellor steered a round of inspections of the hostels to assess cleanliness, maintenance, and other related upkeep of the living conditions, said public relations officer, AMU, Omar Peerzada.

A few grey areas, such as seepage in old structures and chipped plaster, were pointed out, and the building department was instructed to take care of them as a priority. In the heritage building of Sir Syed Hall (North and South), a special effort was asked to be made by the building department.