Heritage hostels reopen

Patna: Patna University has decided to allot students rooms at Patna College’s Minto and Jackson hostels from this academic session.

Minto Hostel, named after then Viceroy Lord Minto, was set up in 1907 and Jackson (named after then Patna College principal VH Jackson) in 1908. The Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited has been carrying out renovation at the heritage buildings.

Patna University’s dean of students’ welfare N.K. Jha said: “Renovation of the two hostels – 100 years old and heritage buildings – is being carried out by Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation. The work is complete and from the current academic session hostel rooms will be allotted to the students. As the hostels come under Patna College, we have asked the college to start the process of allotment.”

The Patna College administration has not yet got possession of the hostels where renovation work was underway since 2013, but has asked students to submit applications for hostel rooms.

Randhir Kumar Singh, hostel superintendent of the Patna College hostels, said: “The university is yet to hand over the two hostels to the college administration. Also, the hostel rooms cannot be allotted without basic facilities such as beds, chairs and tables. The renovation work is complete but the facilities are yet to be arranged.”

Sources said the hostel rooms will be allotted based on the students’ academic performance last year. They will also be asked to sign an undertaking that if they are involved in any anti-academic activities, their allotment will be cancelled.

Shankar Kumar, a first-year student at Patna College, said: “In the absence of hostel rooms, students have to live outside the varsity campus which is expensive and unsafe. A room in a private lodge on Ashok Rajpath – where major colleges of Patna University is located – costs Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000.”

The Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation has taken extra care to renovate the hostels. Red bricks – heated for a longer period and at high temperatures for strength and the desired texture – from Vaishali and Muzaffarpur were used. Timber companies from Bihar and UP were asked to prepare railings, maintaining the original design.

Courtesy: The Telegraph