For a week, the students of Government Polytechnic in Kherwadi area were forced to spend nights at bus stops and railway stations
Students were forced to sleep in the open for a week
A bizarre rule introduced by the administration of the Government Polytechnic in Kherwadi area a week back has left about 50 students homeless. Since the authorities decided to discontinue hostel facilities for those who have even a single paper left to be cleared, the students have been sleeping at bus stops and railway stations. Due to the poor financial condition of their families, they can't even afford accommodation in the city.
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They met Joint Director of Technical Education, Pramod Naik, a few days ago
"We are forced to spend nights at bus stops and railway stations, as there is no way that we can enter the hostel premises. The security guards have been given the list of names of the students who won't be allowed inside. We even looked at other options, but it's financially not possible for us to afford accommodation outside the campus. Our parents are asking us to return home. But it means that all the effort that we have put in the last two years will go waste. Just a few months are left for us to complete the course. We approached the authorities as well, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears. Hence, we have sought help from student leaders," said Ankush Pachpor, a final-year computer diploma student, who hails from Buldhana.
Another student, Utkarsh Patil, said, "As the authorities didn't pay any heed to our requests, we approached the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) students' wing. Following their intervention, we have been allowed to stay in the basement of the hostel. We are thankful that at least we have a roof over our heads now."
Speaking to mid-day, Amol Matele, Mumbai president of NCP students' wing, said, "The administration is behaving very rudely. There is no such rule that if a student cannot clear a paper, then he or she will be thrown out of the hostel. Hostel facilities should be available for the tenure of the course. They are all yet to complete the course. Then how can the administration take such a decision?"
"After we met the Joint Director of Technical Education, Pramod Naik, students were allowed to stay in the basement of the hostel for the weekend. He will visit the hostel on Tuesday and review the situation. A final decision will be taken only after that," Matele added. Even after repeated attempts to contact Naik, he remained unavailable for comment.
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