PU to begin online hostel allotment from Monday

CHANDIGARH: The online allotment of hostels at Panjab University will start from Monday. The students can log on to the new portal launched by the university hms.puchd.ac.in and register themselves.
After online registration, the students will have to submit the hard copy of their forms to the office of the department where they have got admission. Once their details are confirmed, their names will go to the warden of the hostel where they will get accommodation.
Dean student welfare Prof Neena Capalash said the process will make things transparent and hassle-free for students. "The allotment will be done purely on the basis of merit. The students will be able to check the waiting list also," she said.
Earlier, after getting admissions, a student would have to approach the chairperson of his department to check his eligibility for hostel accommodation as per the merit list. He would also have to take the form from the university and fill it up and submit it manually, following which the warden would allot the room as per availability and merit list.
Due to shortage of seats in hostels, many students would not get the accommodation and would be put on the waiting list. The offline procedure invited many protests from students who alleged that there was no transparency in allotment. They alleged that "favourites" were preferred in the allotment.
After the university's decision, Students for Society (SFS) called it as the victory of their unity.
At present, the university has eight hostels for boys and nine for girls that can accommodate around 7,000 students, though the university has more than 16,000 studying on the campus. The remaining students either adjust in the occupied hostel rooms after permissions or are forced to stay outside the campus and pay high rent compared to the charges of PU hostels.