Bed bugs infestation making hostel rooms unlivable: SPPU students

Students residing at the hostels of Savitribai Phule Pune University raised concerns that an infestation of bed bugs in their rooms have made conditions unlivable, especially during this exam period. A student from the G3 hostel shared visuals from his room showing bed bugs crawling on the floor, beds, and even on the ceilings. “When I complained to the hostel warden, he said that bed bugs and cancer are two things that don’t go away once they are there. How are we supposed to give exams like this? The situation has been the same till the last 3-4 months,” the student told The Indian Express.

A first year political science student residing in the G2 Hostel said, “I joined in June and for the first couple of months the situation was okay. But in the winter the bed bug population exploded and it has been impossible to live in the room since then. I have done pest control out of my own pocket twice, but the bugs return in a few days from the neighbouring rooms.” The student said that he has been living with friends or sleeping out in the open for the last few months. Two other students from the G2 hostel also described similar situations in their rooms.

In response, the boys’ hostel rector Sanjaykumar Kamble told The Indian Express that eradication would only be possible once the students vacate the hostels for summer holidays.

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When contacted, Rector Kamble said that he was aware of the issue. “During the exams we will make use of pest control. After the students leave for vacations we will completely empty out the hostel and clean it and again do a pest control,” he said.

Responding to the cancer remark, Kamble said, “If there are new pest control methods we have to use, that is all we can do. No one would like such a thing to happen. The bugs have also become resistant to pest control and controlling their spread is difficult. The estate department will also work with us on this. I genuinely feel it (bed bugs) is a form of cancer.”

Soham Shah

Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More