Sea of changes in PU hostel admissions this year

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 24

As hostel admissions go online from this semester at Panjab University, there is a sea of changes taking place. While a two per cent fee hike will be in place from this semester, students will also be able to pay it online. The online mode will bring in transparency and ensure that rooms are allotted only on merit. The information about each room and its occupants will thus be available online.

As per the information, the students will not have to fill a separate form for a hostel room from now on. The information about the student will be available to the hostel online as it will be uploaded by the department. The department will thus send the information to the hostel along with the merit and then they will provide the student a seat. Each hostel has limited seats for a department which are filled on the basis of merit.

This will ensure that rooms are allocated only on merit and not otherwise and make it easier for a student. Students will know about a vacancy in hostel at the click of a button and thus benefit the around 800- 900 students who stay in the waiting list. An online module has been prepared for the same and warden and other authorised staff has been trained.

Hostel funds now in Central pool

Starting this semester, the hostels will not have a separate account as they have been included in the central pool. It is a bid to add to the university’s revenue as no surplus money will now remain with hostels. Only a contingency fund will be available for hostels.

This also means that there will be a pre- audit of hostel works as opposed to post-audit that was till conducted now. Earlier, development and maintenance works were possible at the warden and DSW level. With this change however, the whole process of approval and passing the budget will have to be undertaken. This may thus lead to a delay in works as is seen in case of departments.

Separate hostel cell to be set up in admn block

As per information, a separate cell for hostels will be set up in the administrative block to facilitate the works. Being in the central pool now, the work will have to be done at the administrative level. However, the clerical staff for the same will be taken from hostels for the purpose. This will mean that instead of already meagre two people in the hostel offices, some will have only one.

Staff shortage may adversely affect hostels which accommodate hundreds of students. Wardens inform that already the two staff members are over- worked and it will become very difficult for one person to manage all the work.