ABVP gives administration 11-day ultimatum over problems in Mumbai government hostels

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has given the administration 11 days to address basic problems faced by students of government hostels in Mumbai. The organisation submitted a memorandum to the Joint Director of the Higher Education Department. Hostel students turned up in large numbers and put their long-standing, unresolved problems before the administration. After the memorandum was handed over, the issues were also discussed in detail with the Joint Director.

The memorandum listed several problems in government hostels. These include trouble with drinking water, lifts not working properly, a lack of regular cleaning, dirt and inconvenience in the canteen, and the poor condition of the building. It also demanded effective measures to stop the spread of rats, pigeons and bedbugs.

The ABVP put forward further demands. Drinking water should be provided on every floor, the library should be renovated, the computer facility should be made operational and the Wi-Fi in the hostels should work properly. It also demanded a hostel food committee to monitor the quality of food. The organisation also demanded transparency in the use of the student welfare fund.

ABVP office-bearers said the hostel plays a very important role in a student's academic journey. The lack of basic facilities should not affect their daily life and studies. According to them, it is the administration's responsibility to give students a safe, clean and dignified environment.

The Joint Director assured the students that their problems would be looked into and necessary action taken. The ABVP, however, says that assurance alone is not enough and action must follow. This is why the administration has been given 11 days. The organisation has clearly warned that if the demands are not met in this period, it will launch an intense agitation with the hostel students.

ABVP's Mumbai Metropolitan Secretary Abhishek Pawar, Mumbai Metropolitan hostel head Atharv, other workers of the organisation and students of government hostels were present.

Abhishek Pawar said, "Getting basic facilities is the right of hostel students." He said, "The administration should resolve these problems in 11 days, or else the ABVP will launch an agitation with the students. There will be no compromise on the rights of students."