Utkal University

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 2: The plan of Utkal University to provide wireless Internet on campus may be in a limbo but arrangements are being made for students to go online in their hostels 24x7.

Under the Centre’s National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology project to bring institutions of higher education within a single network, the varsity is installing Internet cable points in all the boys’ and girls’ hostels. “Each of the 12 hostels will have six points. The work will take another 15 to 20 days. After that, students can access the Internet at any time of the day,” said systems manager of the university computer centre Subhankar Das.

He said it was a Rs 50-lakh project, 75 per cent of which has been borne by the Centre. “The hostel boarders can log in to digital libraries across the world and read e-journals for free,” said Das.

At present, students can access the Internet from the computer centre, which is open between 10am and 8pm on all working days. “But we face a lot of problems while studying at night. If they install Internet points at our hostels, it will be of great help. Though six points are not quite sufficient for the large number of students in each hostel, it is better than nothing at all,” said a second-year student of sociology.

The systems manager said fibre-optic cables were being laid throughout the varsity campus, which would serve as the “backbone” for the proposed Wi-Fi facility. “We have extended Internet service to all the postgraduate departments, administrative block and library and now, all the hostels.

In the next phase, we will cover the University Law College, faculty club, residence of the vice-chancellor and the University High School,” said Das.

He said that the Wi-Fi proposal was pending before the higher authorities of the university for approval. Vice-chancellor P.K. Sahu had made an announcement in this regard more than two years ago.

“We had submitted an estimated plan of Rs 1 crore two years ago for the purpose and have already done the fieldwork. We have been told that the plan is under active consideration now. Once the funds are sanctioned, we will procure the Wi-Fi devices and install them at strategic places for the convenience of students,” he added.

Officials, however, said fund shortage has been a major constraint in the work. “The state government provides funds for payment of salaries, pensions and monthly bills, not for expansion or modernisation. We have to generate funds internally, either through the alumni or other means. An amount of Rs 1 crore will be difficult to generate,” said PG council chairman P.K. Mishra.

Students criticised the authorities for failing to provide wireless Internet facility. “Wireless networking is fast becoming an essential part of every modern university environment. Without that, we cannot hope to compete with other top colleges of the country,” said a student of the MCA department.