As the new academic session started on Wednesday, around 500 students of LD College of Engineering (LDCE) have been left without hostel accommodation.
Second-year to final-year students have already returned to campus, but many of them have not been allotted hostel rooms this year.
Three Hostel Buildings to Be Demolished
The shortage has arisen because three hostel blocks — A, B and C — are set to be demolished after a structural safety inspection found them unsafe for students. These three buildings earlier housed around 450 boys.
The decision follows an incident last academic year when a part of a hostel ceiling collapsed and injured a student.
As a result, only two hostel blocks remain available for students.
Problem Likely to Worsen
The situation is expected to become more difficult in the coming days when nearly 1,700 first-year engineering students join the college, taking the total student strength to around 6,500.
LDCE Principal Nilay Bhuptani said the college earlier had five hostel blocks with a total capacity of about 1,200 students. Of these, blocks A, B and C could accommodate around 450 students, while the remaining two blocks can house about 750 students.
He said that after the structural audit, the college requested the government to demolish the unsafe buildings. This has reduced the hostel capacity by 450 beds, leaving only the two safe hostel blocks for accommodation.
College Looking for Alternative Accommodation
As new hostel buildings have not yet been constructed, the college is searching for alternative accommodation for first-year students and meritorious students who previously stayed in the hostels.
Bhuptani said the college has identified a few possible locations and has asked the government for support in arranging safe accommodation outside the LDCE campus.
However, the final alternative accommodation plan has not yet been announced.