Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Aug 13: The newly constructed girls’ hostel at Kashmir University’s main campus in Srinagar remains non-operational, despite the completion of construction nearly a year ago.
The building, designed to accommodate around 300 female students, was completed on December 23 last year but remains non-operational. The reason for this delay remains unknown, even though the building was officially handed over to the university administration last year.
According to an official familiar with the situation, construction began in 2021. “After initial hiccups, the work progressed at a steady pace, yet an administrative hurdle is holding back the hostel’s opening,” he said.
He added that the hostel was built in response to numerous requests from female students and their parents, who expressed safety concerns about living in rented accommodations off-campus. “The university made the right decision to construct the hostel, but I do not understand why it is not open despite being completed,” he said.
Currently, the university operates four girls’ hostels-Khair ul Nisa, Habba Khatoon, Rabia Basri and Bibi Amina Girls Hostels-which collectively house about 800 students, including 100 research scholars. However, the growing number of female students, especially those from distant regions, has led to a demand for more on-campus accommodation. The new hostel, with 80 rooms, was believed to address this need but remains unused, leaving many students without proper housing.
A senior professor noted that the shortage of hostel facilities has forced approximately 1,200 students to live off-campus. This issue is expected to worsen with the arrival of a new batch of postgraduate students, predominantly girls, scheduled to begin on September 1st, adding another 1,000 students to the university.
These female students are currently residing in areas surrounding Kashmir University, such as Habak, Malabagh, and Saderbala, where safety concerns have been heightened by rising cases of violence against women.
“Living away from the university always carries a risk. While no crimes have been reported against university students so far, if such an incident occurs, the first casualty will be girls’ education,” said a student who is awaiting her selection in the Chemistry program.
Vice Chancellor Nilofar Khan said that some finishing touches are being done to the facility and that it will be operational within the next couple of weeks. “Some work regarding electricity and other minor things is being completed so that students have everything available once they move into the new facility,” she said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
