Hyderabad: The students of Osmania University in Hyderabad recently held a protest against the shortage of water on campus. Subsequently, the university administration issued a notice announcing summer vacations and the closure of hostels and mess facilities.
As part of the academic curriculum, the university declared summer vacation from May 1 to May 31. However, a notice issued by the chief warden read, ”Due to the severe summer, there is a shortage of water and electricity in the hostels. All boarders have been asked to cooperate with the varsity.”
Vinay Kumar, a student at Osmania University said, “The students from different states and countries who stay back in hostels during summer vacation are facing major inconvenience as they have been asked to vacate their rooms because the administration cannot provide water.”
Raising concerns about the water crisis, the students had raised slogans against the university administration. They claimed that there had been water scarcity for the past five days. “We received water for one hour a day,” the students said.
Speaking to the press, one of the protesting students said, “We complain about water every day. They say there is no ground water, and if there is no water in the ground, they should find some alternatives like water tanks, etc.” He added, “Directors suggest not wasting water. Should we not bathe, wash our clothes, or drink water? We want water without having any problems.”
Vinay Kumar further added, “Initially, there was no action taken by the administration. There was water scarcity, especially in women’s hostels. But after the protest, they responded to our concerns and called for a water tank.”
However, later in the day, the university registrar pulled up the chief warden for issuing a notice regarding the purported water and electricity shortage. “… the notice issued by chief warden is deemed unwarranted and misleading,” reads a show cause notice issued to the chief warden.
Furthermore, the university authorities asked the chief warden to issue a detailed clarification on the matter or face disciplinary action.
