Dengue, malaria threat looms over NU boys hostel

NAGPUR: If you want to get the feel of a refugee camp, just visit Nagpur University’s boys hostel at Law College Square. One might feel refugee camps are far better on seeing the filthy and unhygienic conditions of this hostel, and wonder how over 400 students, mostly hailing from poor background, stay in the premises.
The inmates feel there is a very good chance of deadly diseases like dengue and malaria spreading in the hostels in the present condition, thanks to the apathy of NU administration.
At the entrance, an unbearable stink from the extremely filthy toilets welcomes visitors. Normal persons can’t move further without a handkerchief. Inside, the entire area, particularly the rear side, is full of filth and garbage with almost all the walls full of spit marks. The grass on the grounds has not been trimmed in years, thus offering perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects. The roof leaks during the monsoon while the floor has not been cleaned for years, resulting in heaps of garbage like gutkha and cigarette packets.
The rooms seem to be sets of a horror flick, with spider webs all around, and walls that have lost their paint and cement coat since years. There are no lights in the passages. The entire hostel also lacks a proper compound, allowing all kinds of stray animals to roam through the premises. The five decades old building resembles a dilapidated heritage structure due to the lack of maintenance work.
“There is no use of complaining. We’ve written many applications regarding maintenance, but NU’s inefficient management has failed to take any corrective measures,” say students. Recently, they lodged another complaint with the registrar, but apart from oral assurances, nothing has changed.
According to the students, due to unhealthy surroundings, many students fell prey to waterborne diseases like jaundice and also skin ailments. If this is not enough, the water coolers are hardly working and they have to fetch water from a nearby tap. On the other hand, the water taps in the bathroom and toilets keep flowing around the clock because of lack of repairs.
Supporting the students, warden NM Patil too passed the buck to NU administration while admitting that cleanliness was a major problem. “I can at the most forward their complaints to the registrar, but nothing moves beyond that,” he pointed out. Gomashe, however, did not pick up calls for comments.
“Repairs of washrooms, replacement of geysers and upgradation of electrical fittings is urgently needed,” says Rupesh Thakre, a student.
NU had made big plans in the tenure of former VC Anup Kumar to demolish these old buildings and built new ones, and was even in talks with corporates to shoulder the cost. “But there is no need to raze the blocks, even revamping would address most of the grievances,” says Kavya Chauhan.
Yuvraj Dhande explains that a leaking pipeline has not been repaired since last couple of months. “Sweepers don't do their duties properly and the administration simply does not act against them,” he said.
The warden, however, also blames students for all the problems. “They should at least keep their rooms clean, which would help a little. Many poor students also stay here illegally, as they are preparing for competitive exams, and so add to the burden on resources. The mess is not working since students have failed to pay the contractors on time,” he explained.
(With inputs from Sana Husain)