Osmania University set to outsource hostel management

OU Campus: The Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University, Professor S Ramachandram, said on Tuesday that the maintenance of hostels and messes would be given to outsourcing agency from this year. He was speaking along with university officials and principals at a press conference held here at university administrative office.

Prof Ramachandram said that a committee was formed to study the solutions to hostel maintenance and related issues and it submitted its report after observing practices in various universities across the nation. The committee, headed by Prof Naidu Ashok, comprised principles of various colleges and chief wardens as its members.

Based on the report, several key decisions were taken with regards to hostels and their maintenance, he said. Hostels used to serve unlimited breakfast and it has been removed and limited breakfast would be introduced, he said.

Initially, hostels and messes of engineering colleges would be given to outsourced agencies and then the remaining hostels of the university would be handed over to outsourcing agencies in a phased manner, he said.

The old hostels E1 and E2 would be demolished and new hostels would be constructed in their place. Hostels B, C and D would be repaired, and drainage system of the hostels would be linked to that of GHMC, he said.

The VC said that discussions were being held with Gas Authority of India to lay a separate gas line in university for cooking in kitchens where firewood would be replaced with cooking gas. New hostels with a capacity of 500 beds would be operational very shortly.

He said that university authorities were planning to take rice and other food items necessary for hostels directly from the civil supplies department. RO water purification systems would be installed at every hostel in the university.

Hostels would be closed in the months of June and July after the completion of PG and Law exams and would be repaired during the holidays. The university is also planning to purchase roti making machines worth Rs 15 lakh which can prepare 30 rotis per minute for hostel messes.

Street light maintenance would also be given to outsourcing agency, he said. From this the students can pay their hostel fees online and get their no dues certificates, he said.

Registrar Prof CH Gopal Reddy, OSD Prof T Krishna Rao, Social Sciences Dean Prof Naidu Ashok, Science College Principal Prof Pratap Reddy, Arts College Principal Prof D Ravinder Rao, Commerce College Principal Prof Appa Rao and others were present.