‘Vacate hostels being used as Covid centres’

CHANDIGARH: Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) wrote to vice-chancellor Raj Kumar on Wednesday, asking him to approach the Chandigarh administration to get hostels in the campus being used as Covid care centres vacated.

PUTA alleges grave lapses in arrangements made by the UT administration to accommodate suspected Covid-19 patients at the hostels. The administration had directed PU to handover four of its hostels to them to be used as quarantine facilities.

In the letter, the teachers’ body said more than 100 people from Bapu Dham Colony (which has contributed to 74% Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh), including three positive patients, were shifted to girls’ hostel number 8 on Monday. They said the patients were removed from the hostel on Tuesday morning.

The letter stated that the safety and well-being of university staffers, mainly daily wagers working in hostel number 8, is at stake due to the unchecked movement of quarantined persons.

“At this point, even a single error on the administration’s part can prove disastrous, not only for those living or working on campus, but for the survival of the university itself. As per the administration, these hostels were to be used as the last resort for quarantining purposes only. However, before exhausting other quarantine facilities, a large number of suspected patients were shifted to the hostel,” the letter states.

STUDENTS RAISE CONCERN TOO

Meanwhile, students have also raised concerns regarding the issue. On Tuesday, Nikhil Narmeta, president of PU’s National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) wrote to the V-C seeking his intervention. He said the administration has shifted people from Bapu Dham Colony to girl’s hostel number 8 and some of them were found Covid-19 positive. Now, since all of them are staying at same place, there are chances of the infection spreading.

The Panjab University Non Teaching Employees Federation also sought an inquiry into the incident and stern action against “erring officers” who put lives of innocent residents in danger.