No facilities for girls at the MSU

VADODARA, June 16: There have been election promises on the issue, even signature campaigns. But M S University persists in maintaining the ...

VADODARA, June 16: There have been election promises on the issue, even signature campaigns. But M S University persists in maintaining the status quo so far as facilities for girl students 8212; including things as basic as separate toilets and rest rooms 8212; are concerned.

While the Faculties of Arts and Commerce have just one common room for the 5,000-odd students of the main campus, girl students of the Arts faculty have no separate toilets. They have to use the toilets either at the Commerce faculty or the ones meant for staff members.

An Arts faculty student pointed out, 8220;The main campus of the Arts Faculty has the largest number of girl students. But there are no facilities for them. In fact, there8217;s just one place girls can go to during breaks 8212; the canteen 8212; and boys are there as well. There is just no separate place for us.8221;

Water and toilet facilities, however, are much better at the girls8217; college at Nizampura. Former students8217; representative of the college Rudrani Oza, however, said the one bleak spot was the lack of conveyance to and fro college. 8220;The college is located at such an odd place that if the students have to take a bus they have to come all the way to Fatehgunj,8221; she said,When contacted, vice-president of the students8217; union Hemal Mehta said the issue had been raised a number of times in the senate and syndicate meetings, but nothing concrete had emerged.

If Oza8217;s signature campaign for better bus services did not serve its purpose, similar drives by the Women8217;s Studies Research Centre demanding proper facilities for girls on the main campus met similar fates.

A member of the centre told Express Newsline that the signatures were forwarded to Vice-Chancellor Padma Ramachandran, but no action was taken on the demand.

Students of the Faculty of Commerce have also carried out a signature campaign in the context.

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Registrar D P Chhaya, while admitting the lack of facilities for girls, assured Express Newsline that the matter would be taken up depending on the availability of funds.