Students outside Anyatama hostel at Ramadevi Women’s College in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 10: Girl students seeking admission into the Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar (Autonomous) (BJB) college will finally get a roof over their head.

Unlike their predecessors, students and their parents will not have to hunt for accommodation facilities close to the college campus.

To solve the problem of accommodation, BJB authorities are finally coming up with a 100-bed ladies’ hostel.

“A 100-bed hostel will be available by the end of this year,” BJB college principal, Sushmanta Sahoo, said.

The hostel will be ready by next year. It is being funded by the state SC/ ST welfare department and the construction is being taken care of by the IDCO. It will be constructed next to the existing girls’ hostel,” said the principal.

This will be the second hostel for girls after the first and only hostel was constructed in 2008, with funds from the Orissa Mining Corporation.

The college is also going to place a proposal for a boys’ hostel with 100 beds during its meeting with UGC authorities in Delhi on August 16, informed the principal.

However, these additions would mean little to the growing demands of accommodation from students who reach the city every year to pursue higher education.

With over 4,500 students and just four hostels (junior hostel, general hostel, Ambedkar hostel and ladies hostel with 100 beds each), one can imagine the demand-supply ratio. While lack of funds has been the major hurdle cited by college authorities, students remain the worst sufferers.

“It’s a chaotic affair every season. This year, I have been trying hard to find an accomodation for my sister from Jagatsinghpur who has taken admission into plus 3. Since she could not find a place in the hostel, I am trying to find an accommodation for her outside,” said Sonali Parichha, a student.

“I am not worried that I will have to adjust with any many students in one room, but I will be more than glad if I get into an accomodation in any of the hostels,” said Jasmeen, another student.

While finding accommodation close to colleges has been a taxing affair, the expenses have made things even more difficult.

“The rents vary between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000 per month,” said Jyoyi Ray, another student.

The situation is no better in other government colleges here.

Besides the BJB, only the Ramadevi college has hostel facilities.

For over 4,000 students, we have just four hostels with 700 beds, a senior official from Ramadevi college said.

However, unlike BJB, Ramadevi college has no plans to construct more hostels anytime soon.

“Hostel seats are allotted purely on merit basis,” said Srilekha Ray, the principal of Ramadevi college.

“I managed to get an accomodation in a hostel only when I entered plus 3 even though I had applied earlier. Before that, I used to stay at a rented house. While the charges here and outside don’t differ much, staying at a hostel inside the campus is a lot more convenient,” said Poonam Jain, another student.

The other major colleges that do not have hostel facilities are Maharshi College, Kamala Nehru Women’s College and Rajdhani College.

“We will open a girls’ hotel as well as a boys’ hostel having 130 seats by the end of this year, said Manisha Chakrabortty, principal, Basic Science College.