E-Paper
Students suffer due to strict restrictions, many stuck in the city
PUNE For Shailesh Patil, it’s one suffering in a lockdown-like situation
PUNE For Shailesh Patil, it’s one suffering in a lockdown-like situation. Patil has been stuck in Pune for the last one month.
“I had come back to Pune to study and prepare for my competitive examinations. Now, curfew orders have made my life miserable. Even my regular canteen has closed down and I have very limited money to even go back to my village in Solapur,” said Patil.
Like Patil, there are thousands of students who are struggling to find daily meals and other facilities due to the strict restrictions imposed in the city.
“Currently, my friend and I are both staying in a rented flat in Gokhale nagar. I am doing my post-graduation from Pune university and my friend is working. Now, we have to cook our own food at home. We fear travelling back to our hometowns,” said Mitali Gandhi, a student.
Pune is an educational hub and every year lakhs of students from across the country come here for studies or to prepare for competitive examinations.
Sadashiv peth, Navi peth, Kothrud, and the Bharati Vidyapeeth areas are where a large number of students live in hostels, as paying guests or in rented flats.
An entire economy is set up to cater to the students, right from food, groceries, and study material.
“As the student numbers have gone down, business is also low. When all the things were opened up and students were returning, business was going on well. Now again it is affected,” said Rohan Nalawade, a bakery and ice-cream shop owner in Navi peth.
