Slums pose danger to lives of COEP students

Arrest of slum dwellers living near PIET pushes college to petition for eviction of slums

With several armed criminals being arrested on Monday from the slums at Patil Estate near the College of Engineering,Pune, (COEP)u00a0the college's director Anil Sahasrabuddhe claims that the 3,000 students studying in the institution are feeling threatened.

In fact,u00a0COEP has even written to the state government and other officials, including the home minister, police commissioner and the guardian minister, saying that they "feel threatened by the anti-social elements" allowed to build their huts on the premises of Patil Estate.

Second year BTech students Kashmira Pawar and Sunita Deshmukh (names changed) said they were terrified with the news. "I am worried about crossing the new bridge adjoining the river due to the slums," said Pawar.

"The criminal activities worry me. My parents have asked me to not stay back in college late," added Deshmukh.

Ironically, the 4.5 acres of land on which the slums have come up belongs to the college. The slums had been legalised 40 years ago. "But now we hear that criminal activities are planned in the slums. So they must be evicted. Otherwise, criminal elements might harm our students," said Sahasrabuddhe.

He recalled that eight computers had been stolen from the college on two occasions. "A staff member also had his motorcycle stolen," he said. This Holi, one of the slum dwellers reached the girls' hostel in an intoxicated state and began misbehaving.u00a0