Mumbai’s Nair Dental Hospital and College is still grappling with a shortage of student accommodation, with the proposed hostel at Haji Ali expected to house only about 110 students against a total strength of at least 450.
To address the gap, the college administration has approached the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seeking another parcel of land where additional hostel facilities could be developed.
“Accommodating a few PG students in this very hospital building is easily possible. It’s useful as well because if there is an emergency, I can deploy them. But accommodating 450 students is simply impossible,” said Dr Mala Dixit, dean of the college.
The administration has also expressed concerns about the construction schedule for the Haji Ali hostel. “The BMC has indicated that the structure will be handed over to us by March-end next year. However, with only six floors constructed so far, we fear the deadline could be difficult to meet,” said the dean.
Loss of Kalachowkie Space Worsens Shortage
The accommodation problem has intensified after the dental college lost access to space previously provided at Kalachowkie.
“Nearly 10 floors of BMC buildings there had earlier been made available to the Dental College, but the space has now been taken back amid an increase in the number of MBBS students at KEM and Nair hospitals,” said Dixit.
With that space no longer available, dental students are continuing to stay in cramped rooms within the new Dental Hospital building.
Students Raise Concerns Over Hostel Conditions
The accommodation issue had earlier drawn attention after students reported that as many as 10 occupants were being housed in small rooms with inadequate ventilation.
“We began the course two years ago. We were told that it was a matter of a few weeks and that we would be given proper rooms. But nothing has been done so far,” a student told mid-day.
Another student said the lack of ventilation was affecting residents’ health. “If one roommate catches a cold, everyone starts sneezing immediately,” she said.
Dean Questions Use of Hostel Space
Dixit has also questioned whether some planned facilities in the Haji Ali hostel could be redesigned to create more student accommodation.
“First, five of the 20 floors will be given to real estate groups. In the remaining 15 floors, 10 or 11 will be staff houses, and the rest of the space is for accommodating 110 students. There will also be a gym, canteen and reading room. While all these are useful facilities, as per the design, there will be mechanical stack parking for 45 cars. What’s the need? The maintenance cost of that system will be an added financial burden. Also, the maximum population that the building will host is students who use two-wheelers. And for them, only 10 bike parking spaces will be made available. Instead, that space could have been used to construct more rooms,” said the dean.
The proposed Haji Ali facility therefore may provide only partial relief, leaving the college dependent on additional accommodation arrangements if it is to house its growing student population adequately. The request for another BMC land parcel reflects the scale of the problem and the limited capacity of the current hostel plan.
Source: Mid-day
