Notice to hand over hostels lands Anna varsity in a fix

On Thursday, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G. Prakash issued a notice to Anna University to hand over all hostels under its purview.

The notice cited the prevailing emergency situation of COVID-19 pandemic and added that the Corporation was searching for places to be used as quarantine facilities.

The Commissioner said that the Corporation would bear the cost of maintaining the premises in the event of taking over. The notice further said, “So you are hereby directed to remove students’ belongings from the rooms and hand over the building before June 20 to the GCC... failing which the authority will take appropriate action to take over the building without any prior notice.”

Two buildings given

The notice has put the university officials in a dilemma. Already two buildings — the Knowledge Park academic complex and the yet-to-be inaugurated PG students’ hostel — were given for being used as quarantine facilities. So far, over eight batches of 200 people have been treated and sent out of the facilities. The premises was used for people arriving from outside the State.

The university’s 15 hostels can accommodate around 4,000 students. At present, students are housed four in a room and provided bunker beds.

“The students have left their valuables like laptops and project work. We don’t understand how we can enter their rooms,” said a senior official.

Another official said, “We cannot break open the doors of rooms in students hostel. It would be unethical. I have to be fair to the students.”