Severe accommodation crisis at RU

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RU Correspondent :
Students of Rajshahi University (RU) have long been suffering from severe residence crisis with the authorities turning a blind eye to the problem.
Official sources said, the university has a capacity to accommodate only some 8,000 students at its 16 dormitories against a total of 33,000 students of the university. So, students have been facing severe accommodation problem for the last several years.
As a result, 75 percent students of the university have to live in rented private flats and houses in the city where security is often poor and they have to pay more money.
The university has eleven halls for male students where five others for the female students.
Hall sources said that in the eleven male dormitories number of the total seat is 5,000 while the AK Shere-Bangla Hall has 308, Shah Makhdum Hall 422, Nawab Abdul Latif Hall 325, Syed Ameer Ali Hall 410, Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall 420, Shaheedd Habibur Rahman Hall 800, Mother Box Hall 584, Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall 600, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall 590, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall 496 and Motiher Hall 144 respectively.
Meanwhile, the accommodation crisis of female students is more. A total of 3,000 seats are in the five female students’ dormitories where Begum Rokeya Hall has 720, Begum Khaleda Zia Hall 452, Monnujan Hall 700, Taposy Rabeya Hall 469 and Rahmathunessa Hall 600 respectively. But reality is that around five thousands students reside in the five dormitories.
Demanding more residence halls, students have alleged that the authorities are failing to resolve the accommodation crisis.
Talking to the New Nation, Mubarak Hossain, a third year student of law department said, “I admitted to the university for three years, but yet to get seat. I applied several times for seat but failed”. “We not only have to pay more money for residence but also suffer from insecurity”, he added.
Demanding more halls, Sirajum Munira, a second year’s student of English Department said, “I have to force to live outside of the campus with insecurity as I did not get seat at Munnujan hall after applying for last two years.
Contacted, RU vice chancellor Professor Muhammad Mizanuddin said, “We hope the problem will ease with the opening of two new residential halls named Kamaruzzaman hall for male students and Sheikh Haisna hall for female students in next fiscal year which are already approved by UGC.
 “Construction of Motiher hall is going in full swing and we also wanted more money to finish construction of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa hall as its construction work has been finished almost”, he added.
 “Once these halls are opened for residential students, the accommodation problem will be substantially eased”, he also added.
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