PMK Demands More Hostels, Asks Tamil Nadu government To Ease Norms

PMK on Sunday demanded more hostel facilities for students while urging the government to ease norms to address the issue.

Though the number of state-run arts and science colleges have increased over the years in Tamil Nadu, hostels have not been set up in proportion to such new institutions, the PMK said here on Sunday and demanded more hostel facilities for students while urging the government to ease norms to address the issue. During the past eight years, the number of arts and science colleges have more than doubled from 69 in 2013 to 143 at present, the party founder leader S Ramadoss said. The number of hostels was not however increased correspondingly, he said, batting for more hostels. While many new institutions are in rural areas, the hostels are mostly in urban regions. Though some hostels are located close to colleges, a rule however barred students from getting admitted to hostels if the location of colleges and hostels fell under separate revenue districts, though these two centres could be located relatively closer, he said. Despite the fact that students of a government run college at Perumbakkam here may stay in a state run hostel in Guindy area, hostel administration does not allow students of that college stating that their institution fell under Chengelpet district. "It would take at least three hours to travel between Perumbakkam college and Chengelpet hostel. This is not possible."