IIT-Delhi gets more girls but has no rooms for them
A few angry parents complained to HRD minister Prakash Javadekar claiming that students were asked to sleep on the mattress spread on the floor as cots were unavailable.
More women gaining admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) was a welcome news. But the institute in Delhi has no room for them, literally. Due to space crunch, several students have been asked to stay in an adjacent building meant for associate professors.
According to a senior IIT official, due to 30% increase in number of women students for undergraduate and masters courses, there is severe shortage of accommodation. As a temporary measure, many have been accommodated in facilities meant for associate professors.
Sources said a few angry parents complained to HRD minister Prakash Javadekar claiming that students were asked to sleep on the mattress spread on the floor as cots were unavailable. IIT officials said they have placed order for cots and 30-40 of them will be made available from Saturday.
“We have accommodated all undergraduate students in the hostel. Around 100 masters students have been allotted rooms in the adjacent building. It is a temporary arrangement,” said a senior IIT official.
Officials said even in 2016, a few students were asked to stay in temporary accommodation but were soon allotted hostels. The number is significantly high this year. “Most of them have been given mattresses till cots are made available,” the official said.
The existing hostels for post-graduate students in IIT-Delhi, Kailash and Himadri, can accommodate 900 students and are fully occupied now.
“We had not anticipated such an increase but we have provided cots and almirahs to some students. We will provide them soon to the students who got only mattresses as of now. They will dine with students in the dining area in the hostel,” said the official.
The IITs have registered a better representation of women this year — from 8% in 2016 to 9.3 % in 2017. Through JEE advanced, a total of 70 girl students were admitted in IIT-Delhi for undergraduate courses in 2016 and it rose to 94 this year. There has also been a corresponding increase in MTech, MSc and PhD courses.
“Construction of our new hostel will begin by December. It will be able to accommodate at least 350-400 students and is expected to be completed in 18 months,” added the official. “A status report will be sought from other IITs too,” he said.
