Students rush to Punjabi University campus after being asked to vacate hostels
Ravneet Singh
Tribune News Service
Patiala, May 9
Students and their local guardians rushed to the Punjabi University campus on Saturday morning to collect their belongings from hostels after the district administration decided to use them as ‘Covid care isolation centres’.
The administration, meanwhile, ensured order and social distancing.
The district administration had decided to convert the hostels – Baba Banda Singh Bahadur boys’ hostel, Bebe Nanki hostel and Mai Bhago girls’ hostels as quarantine centres on April 15, around 25 days ago.
Later, the university directed the students to vacate the hostels on Friday night. As a result, frantic over losing their belongings, the students rushed to the hostels on Saturday morning.
“The hostels should not be turned into quarantine centres. The universities will not open anytime soon if many people are affected due to the epidemic and this will delay academic activity with no alternative option at hand,” a student said.
Nikhil, a resident of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur hostel said, “I am a resident of Himachal Pradesh. I can’t come on my own due to short notice and lockdown. I have had to send my local resident friend to collect the belongings.”
Arsh, another resident of one of the hostels, had to send the local guardian to collect the belongings. “This has put the local guardian in a difficult position who had to venture out in old age amid the pandemic,” the student said.
Prof Tara Singh, dean, student welfare, said the students are maintaining social distancing. “Security officers are on duty and students are being sent one by one.” He said the university got only one day to clear the three hostels from the administration.
