The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has commanded its students to vacate the hostels amid the COVID-19 lockdown and declared that the mess facilities will only be active for the next 48 days.
JNU asks its students to vacate the hostels and leave for their hometowns and come back only after the resumption of academic after June 25. Students have been demonstrating the same.
In a circular issued by the Dean of Students, Prof Sudheer Pratap Singh, said: “The university had issued circulars in March informing students about the closure of the institute and advised them to return home.”
“Many students requested to be allowed stay back in hostels at that time due to non-availability of public transport during the lockdown”, it added.
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal stated that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal commanded these orders On Thursday, May 21, 2020. The government had asked all departments, autonomous bodies and public sector units to segregate activities and intermit non-essential services.
The university said, “All activities in the university, including services in the hostels, schools and administration are hereby suspended till the said date.” “Accordingly, all students are required to vacate the hostels,” it added.
The lockdown was imposed by the Central Government from March 25. In its fourth phase now, some restrictions have been lifted, comprising of those on the movement of students, migrant workers and people left stranded at several places across the country.
For the movement of students and migrant workers, the Indian Railways has started running special trains. The state governments have also started the intra-state bus and taxi services. For the return of students to their respective states, Some State Governments have also made arrangement for transportation.
The circular further added that as the COVID-19 cases are escalating day by day in Delhi, hostel residents are, “strongly advised to return to their hometown and come back after the opening of the university”.
Howbeit, students living in campus claims that this decision of the administration is imperilling “not only the safety of students but the fight against COVID-19 itself”.
In a statement, Hostel residents stated that reservation of seats in the special trains is uncertain and as per the academic calendar of JNU, the university seeks to open on June 25. Since the pandemic is showing no signs of diminishing, JNU Students Union asks: “Does the administration intend to make students undergo the hardship of travel twice in the space of a month and endanger their lives further?”
For resuming education, the university had started online classes. All educational institutes are closed down to control the transmission of coronavirus. For regular students, JNU will resume its classes from June 25 if the situation normalises.
