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QAU students forced to leave university hostels
ISLAMABAD, Aug 3: The administration of Quaid-i-Azam University
(QAU) has made life miserable for over 3,000 students by cutting off their water
and power supply and forcing them to leave for their hometowns.
Talking
to us, the students said that there were eight hostels of QAU but no
one was serving meals for the last seven months.
"The university
administration is charging us hostel fee but providing with no facility forcing
us to dine out at kiosks to the risk of our health," they said.
QAU
boarders, including MSc and PhD students from all the four provinces and Azad
Jammu and Kashmir said that they could not go to their homes, as they had to
carry out their research work and studies.
They said that there was no
one on the campus to listen to their complaints.
They said that for the
last seven months none of the hostels were being run properly. "There was only
one hostel canteen, which the administration has closed due to unknown reasons,"
said the students.
They said that the administration was providing them
unsafe drinking water despite their frequent complaints. "Water filters have
expired and contaminated water supply is infecting students with hepatitis,"
they said.
There was only one study room, which was also closed by the
administration, they complained.
The students said they had endured this
summer without fans. They said instead of providing them with proper environment
required for research and studies the administration was bent on teasing
them.
The QAU vice chancellor (VC) made claims of facilities to the on
campus students but he has taken no practical measure in this regard, they
said.
They said that students were without Internet facility required for
research work though the VC had made a promise to them in this
regard.
They claimed that due to poor facilities at the campus the
university secured 2nd position as far as research papers were concerned. They
said that earlier the university was on top of the list.
Higher
Education Commission (HEC) has provided huge funds for the welfare of the
students but the QAU management is using these funds for its own interests, said
the students.
They said that one seat was reserved in the university
syndicate for their representative but no student was allowed to attend its
meetings.
"We will go to the Supreme Court to secure our rights," they
said.
They said that there were over 3,000 students residing
in the hostels but they were at the mercy of QAU staff.
The students
said that the staff's non-cooperative attitude compelled them on Wednesday night
to stage a protest demonstration in front of the VC's house.
They said
that water supply and electricity were disconnected at night and the management,
which asked them to leave the hostel, closed their hostel. "There is no rule to
send those students home who are busy in their research work," they said,
adding, the university had charged hostel fee from them and was now refusing
them lodging facility during the summer vacations.
When contacted QAU Spokesman Nazir Hussain, he said that as the university was closed
he could not make any comment. However, he confirmed the student's protest
demonstration. Daily times
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