Journalism of Courage
Agony comes in many forms for the 300-odd backward class students at PMC hostel
At other times of the year,the living conditions are bad and in monsoon things get worse. The Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Students Hostel,run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) opposite the citys mayors bungalow and the ward office is where mosquitoes,bed bugs and insects thrive. Its also where 300-odd backward class students from across the state have their home away from home.
Water leaking constantly from broken taps in bathrooms covers the corridors and in monsoon leaking roofs join in,making life hell for students. The area meant to be a reading room is in shambles and old bicycles are parked there.
The entrance to the hostel is flooded with dirty water and one has to hop and balance on bricks to reach the staircase. The staircase has no light. The overflowing garbage bins are cleaned once a week. Four students occupy rooms meant for two. The ceilings of most of the roofs leak in monsoon. The stink from the a garbage dump next to the hostel makes certain sections of the hostel impossible to live in.
Recounting their misery,one student said,A healthy person can fall ill here in a week. Not only are living conditions terrible,even food we get at the mess is inedible. The area,which originally had been given to us for washing clothes,is now used by mess workers,where they clean utensils making it impossible for us to wash our clothes there, said Hanumant Narayankar,a final-year Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) students at Fergusson College.
Another student,Bharat Patekar,a final-year BA student of Garware College,said,I have been staying here for two years and there has been no change in conditions here. At times we dont get drinking water. We have to go to the public tap to get water. A few toilet doors cannot be closed. The others are half broken. Corridors dont have any lights. It is very difficult for us to concentrate on our studies in such conditions.
Even the rector seems to have lost hope of any improvement in conditions. I have been working here since January. I have been sending numerous letters to the PMC since April but have not received any reply as yet, said Rakesh Vitkar,the rector.
The matter came to light when Arvind Gore,city president of the Nationalist Student Congress,the student wing of the NCP,visited the hostel. We got a few complaints from these students. Only when we came here did we realise that the condition was this bad, said Gore.
In spite of the deplorable state of the hostel,it has seen students who went on to do exceptionally well over the years. Shashikant Mharasale,a student who stayed there for two years was recently selected as a NASA junior scientist. I used to go to the hostel only to sleep at night. Throughout the day,I used to study in libraries. The condition has not changed at all,over the years, said Mharasale.
A few students met the mayor,Mohansingh Rajpal,who promised some action soon. I will visit the site tomorrow at 11 am and take some action immediately, said Rajpal.
