The Public Works Department (PWD) has agreed to undertake the renovation of the dilapidated men’s hostel of Ernakulam Maharaja’s College before May at an estimated cost of around ₹1.2 crore.
A major repair work will be carried out using the special funds available with the department. Senior engineers of the PWD had pointed out that the building would be safe for occupation after renovation, said P.K. Raveendran, chairman of the college governing council, on Monday.
Hostellers were on the warpath demanding the facility after the college authorities closed the building following a report submitted earlier by the PWD that the building was unfit for occupation owing to its poor infrastructure. The Hindu has learnt that the department changed its position after senior officials suggested that a major repair work would make it fit for occupation again.
Stating that the college had the responsibility to provide hostel facility to its students, Mr. Raveendran said the construction of the new hostel block would take at least three to five years. “The college cannot wait for such a long period, without having a hostel. We have plans to build the first among the proposed two new hostel towers initially,” he said.
Ladies hostel
He said the ladies hostel would be modernised by including the proposal under the master plan for college development. A revised master plan would ensure facilities such as hostels, a library and a sports complex. Mr. Raveendran said Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac had assured financial support for such a holistic development programme.
The college will focus on improving the quality of its postgraduate programmes and research on the campus. Mr. Raveendran said efforts would be made to extend facilities and infrastructure for researchers. “We need to increase the library hours from the existing schedule. A time frame of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. should be in place to help researchers access the library better,” he said.
Principal N. L. Beena said the college was awaiting technical sanction from the PWD for the proposed hostel block. The government had earlier approved ₹10 crore for the project, she said.
