Patna, June 1: Inmates of various hostels under Patna University (PU), who have failed to vacate their rooms despite an order by the university administration, could start packing their bags. The university administration has decided to take action against them.

In a letter dated May 25, 2011, the PU administration had asked the boarders in various hostels to vacate the premises for the zero session from June 1 to June 30. However, many boarders failed to comply with the directive, and as a result, the university administration has decided to take “strict action” against them. A notice to this effect was put up at the hostels today.

PU vice-chancellor Sudipto Adhikari said: “We have issued letters to all the wardens and hostel superintendents to get the hostels vacated. The students who don’t vacate the rooms will face serious action.”

Help would be taken from the district administration and the police to vacate the hostels. FIRs could also be lodged.

Sources said most of the boarders of the four hostels under Patna College had already left. However, the real hurdle challenging the university administration in their drive to vacate the hostels were the inmates of the postgraduate hostels at Rani Ghat, Saidpur and Hathua. The boarders of these hostels have been living there for years, defying the orders of the authorities.

Passouts or the relatives of university employees occupy most of the rooms in these hostels. The university authorities had tried to evict these illegal occupants but had failed because of pressure from students’ bodies and unions representing university employees. Most of them are also associated with the ruling and the Opposition political parties.

Randhir Kumar Singh, general secretary, Patna University Teachers’ Association (Puta), said: “The university administration had issued a letter in the last week of May asking all the students living in various hostels to vacate their rooms as the varsity will be in zero session — the period between the old and the new sessions. However, there are many students who are yet to vacate their rooms.”

Singh, also the warden of four hostels — Iqbal Hostel, Minto Hostel, Jackson Hostel and New Hostel, said around 80 per cent of the students had vacated their rooms. The remaining boarders have been asked to vacate the hostels within a week.

A resident of Saidpur Hostel said: “We don’t live here for free. The university charges us. Also, instead of thinking of vacating the hostels, they must try to improve the infrastructure.”

Sources said the passouts do not want to vacate the rooms, as they are economical than rooms outside. The university charges Rs 3,260 for the first year and Rs 1,760 for the second and third years. The average rent of rooms in the Saidpur area is more than Rs 2,000 per month.

Last year, after a number of clashes between the inmates of the hostels, the university administration had asked the hostel superintendents to submit a list of the names of the illegal occupants. The university administration, however, failed to take any action to evict these occupants.