Hostel crisis hits GNDU campus

With the new academic session underway at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), students are facing a shortage of hostel accommodation. According to the university’s official website, GNDU offers a total of 3,894 hostel seats, for both male and female students.

The boys’ hostels at GNDU can accommodate 1,554 students, while the girls’ hostels have a capacity of 2,340. This capacity was sufficient in previous years because some students chose to live off campus, but this year, both university authorities and students are experiencing a noticeable shortage of rooms.

The increased requirement for hostel accommodation this year is also being attributed to a significant surge in student admissions.

“Most outstation students are unable to secure hostel accommodation. It's especially inconvenient for girls, who are now searching for PG facilities near the university despite concerns about safety,” said a student from Pathankot.

Frustrated by the inconvenience faced by their wards, parents turned up at various offices of the university, including the Dean Student Welfare Office, on Wednesday. Students also met with Dean (Student Welfare) Prof Harvinder Singh Saini, demanding that the university publish a list of the total number of hostel seats along with the number of currently vacant ones.

Meanwhile, GNDU Registrar Prof Karamjeet Singh Chahal acknowledged the issue of hostel room shortage. “We have been seeking approvals and grants from the state government to construct new hostels in order to prevent such a situation. However, there have been some delays. Currently, there is a requirement for approximately 600 additional rooms in both boys’ and girls’ hostels and a proposal for the same has already been submitted to the government,” he said.

Addressing the current crisis, Prof Chahal said the university has approached the management of Government Polytechnic College with a plea to use their vacant hostel rooms for GNDU students. “We have written to the Director of Technical Education, Punjab, and the management of Government Polytechnic, seeking permission to accommodate our students in their hostels, as most of their students are local and the hostel facility remains largely unused,” he said.

Notably, the same hostel facility was previously used by IIM Amritsar as a temporary campus before it shifted to its new premises at Manawala.