Hill Students at North Bengal University Demand Fair Hostel Allotment Considering Commute Time

Students from the hills who are attending North Bengal University (NBU) here for post-graduation or other courses have asked that when allocating hostel seats, the administration take into account how long it takes a student to get there from home.

Because of the small distance between their residences and the NBU, students in the hills frequently have difficulty finding accommodations at the varsity hostel. However, the commute is difficult and time-consuming due to the mountainous terrain.

"It is impossible to understand our transportation issues by considering the distance between our house and the university. Merely focusing on kilometers is insufficient. However, at NBU, housing is assigned by the administration to students according to how far away their residence is from the university. For hill students like us, this is a challenge, according to Muskan Chettri, a Nepali post-graduate student.

Second-semester student Muskan reported that she has not yet been placed in one of the six female dorms.

"The distance to our homes is short, unlike other students who are from the plains and different districts of north Bengal," the youngster stated. She stated, "We want the varsity authorities to understand the challenges and length of time associated with the daily commute on the hilly terrain." "It is a practical need to provide hostel seats to students from the hills."

Ten hostels at NBU, six for females and four for boys, can house about 1,100 students.

The general secretary of North Bengal University's Hills Students Association, an apolitical organization supporting hill students, Abhisek Rai, suggested that the university's administration set aside a portion of the hostel seats specifically for hill students.

He brought up the fact that Darjeeling is only 80 kilometers away, but it takes three hours to go there by public transportation from NBU. In contrast, a student takes the same amount of time to go 190 km from NBU to Cooch Behar.

"Despite the fact that about half of the students at NBU are from the hills, the majority of them still do not get hostel accommodations," Rai stated.

Rai stated that they had sent a memorandum to the relevant authorities a few days prior, asking for a solution to the issue.

"They ought to take the time into account as well, rather than only using Google Maps to determine the distance. There have been cases where students have given up on their education due to a lack of hostel accommodations," he stated.

A student at NBU must spend about Rs 2,000 per semester to remain in the dormitory. A Kalimpong student stated, "Even a basic paying guest accommodation near the varsity costs at least Rs 5,000."

Authorities from the NBU stated they were investigating the matter. "The factor taken into account before providing hostel accommodations is distance. If changes are necessary, they must be made after consultation in the relevant varsity forum. We are conscious of the problem, an official stated.

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