Season of hell sets in, as usual

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For inmates of the Government College Hostel for Men, Palayam, one of the oldest hostels in the State, the monsoon brings with it a seasonal phenomenon - hell. This year is no different. The two buildings on the hostel campus have been lying neglected for ages now. The main building is over a century old, while the second one also has pre-Independence origins, having been opened in 1945.The tiled roof of the main building is damaged, rendering some of the rooms uninhabitable as rainwater seeps in through the roofs and walls. Inmates say they have a tough time protecting their clothes and books from getting soaked. ‘’I can’t even sleep at night if it is raining outside. My room becomes a pool after a heavy rain,’’ saidSanal, a student of University College.  Both buildings combined have 300 rooms, but only 200 rooms are inhabitable. Even in the ‘liveable’ ones, windows and doors are damaged and some rooms have no electricity. If some rooms lack sufficient furniture, in others, the students have to live with the curse of broken tables, chairs and cots. But talk about repairs, they are amused. No repairs have been effected for quite a long time.The fully-tiled bathrooms and toilets are hygienic to an extent, but what the students face there are broken taps and darkness - there are few bathrooms with proper electrification. ‘’It is difficult to use the bathrooms at night as there are no lights. You have to grope around. In the mornings, there are long queues before the bathrooms because good bathrooms are very few in number,’’ said Muneer K, a student of Government Arts College, Thycaud.The men’s hostel today provides a home to students of various government colleges in the city. Hostel authorities admit to defects, but say the government is aware of the situation. ‘’We have informed the authorities concerned about the situation, but to no effect. The previous government allocated an amount of Rs 40 lakh for maintenance, but the project has not been sanctioned,’’ said Chandrashekaran Asary, warden of the hostel.  “Even though there are small leaks in the buildings, they are safe and secure and we have enough rooms for the new admissions” he added.The students are now waiting to see whether the Oommen Chandy government would bring any positive change to their lives.