Pune University Asks Students To Vacate Hostel By October 3

Mehab Qureshi

Pune, September 27, 2020: Final year students of Savitribai Phule Pune University(SPPU) have been ordered to vacate their rooms by October 3. The administration had issued a notice and warned the students to collect their belongings, or it will be kept in the hostel luggage room. This decision has caused chaos and confusion amongst the students.

Almost all the students have kept their belongings at the SPPU hostel while returning to their hometown amidst the nationwide lockdown in March-April. The staff at SPPU has now issued an ‘arbitrary’ notice, which has left many students speechless.

“This doesn’t seem right as the situation is really horrible. They are now forcing students to remove their luggage. I will be talking to higher authorities soon”, said Somnath Lohar, president of Nationalist Congress Party’s SPPU Student wing.

Vrushikesh Jagadale, a student of MA (Philosophy), said, “I am shocked by this decision. We have exams in a few weeks from now. We are also preparing for UPSC exams and now this. How are we supposed to deal with this? This is a completely irresponsible behaviour from the university’s side.”

Many students studying at the university are from rural parts of Maharashtra. “I live around 800 km far from Pune in Nanded district, and I can’t come from Nanded to collect my luggage. It won’t be affordable for me to bear the transportation cost”, said Satish Pawar, a student of MCom.

Speaking to Punekarnews.in, SPPU Registrar Dr Prafulla Pawar said, “We have taken this decision keeping the new admissions in mind. Also, we need to sanitize and do pest control in the hostels. However, we have decided to extend the deadline and students who can collect are instructed to do so, and other students can do it later. It is not that they have to do it by October 3 only.”