Urdu University students oppose converting campus to a quarantine centre in Telangana

Revenue authorities of Ranga Reddy district requested that MANUU buildings in be handed over for developing the quarantine centre with appropriate modifications to be suggested by the Health Department.

Authorities in Telangana on Thursday decided to convert the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) here into a quarantine facility for international travelers with suspected symptoms of Covid-19, a move which has evoked strong opposition from the students and the faculty members.

A policeman puts a notice outside a room at a quarantine facility in government post graduate college in Sector 9, in Gurugram, India, on Monday, 16 March 2020. The state government is setting up such facilities to combat coronavirus scare and deal with people who might be affected by this disease. (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Revenue authorities of Ranga Reddy district requested that MANUU buildings in be handed over for developing the quarantine centre with appropriate modifications to be suggested by the Health Department.

The revenue divisional officer authorized the officials to take over the possession of the university and hand it over to Director of the Medical and Education Department.

However, the orders to take over MANUU campus in Gachibowli evoked strong protest from students and faculty. They opposed the move and demanded immediate intervention by Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

They urged the university Vice Chancellor and Registrar not to handover the university for quarantine centre and warned of a protest by closing down the campus gate.

Imtiyaz Alam, Research Officer at Instructional Media Centre, MANUU called for saving the university from complete shutdown for a long time. He tweeted that the university has a very small campus surrounded by residential localities.

Some students questioned why authorities not developing quarantine facility in other universities or corporate hospitals in Gachibowli. They feel that the move would pose risk for residential staff, students and teachers and spoil the academic year of the students.

MANUU has already suspended class rooms at its headquarters and off-campuses till March 31 as a precautionary measure in view of coronavirus. Hostel students were advised to return to their homes by March 20 to avoid gatherings in hostels.

However, many students were demanding the university authorities to allow them to stay on in the hostels.