Cusat hostellers face water shortage

KOCHI: Cusat campus is in the grip of water crisis again and the students of the School of Engineering took out a protest march with buckets and mugs on Friday morning. The hostellers suffer the most. “It’s has been two days since the taps have gone dry at the BTech hostel. Potable water is also a problem. We don’t have any other facility. Though the college promised modern facilities, there’s much left to be desired,” said the inmates.The School of Engineering hostel is a neglected lot, they alleged. Moreover, there’s a confusion over who has to address the needs of the hostel. While the university officials said that the principal is in-charge, the principal contradicts it and puts the onus on the university.“There’s water shortage in the whole area. A warden is yet to be appointed in the hostel. The School of Engineering has decided to buy water supplied by tanker lorries for the time-being. Actually the University Engineering Department is in-charge of the hostel and water and power supply,” said principal S David Peter.The students allege that there’s discrimination among the hostels on the campus.“But for the BTech hostel, all the other hostels on the campus come under the hostel department. We pay Rs 500 as rent while other hostels charge only Rs 100. However, they’re not facing any problems,” said Afsal V A, SFI convener, BTech (Cusat).There’s only one 3-litre capacity cooler which is not enough, he said. Potable water facilities in the college is also poor. “The authorities have promised that the issues would be resolved soon,” he said.