Chandigarh, Oct 18 (IANS) Nearly 4,000 students staying in the Panjab University (PU) hostels can now play a vital role in the decision-making process regarding their accommodation, food and security, among other things.
Panjab University Campus students Council (PUCSC) has introduced a unique concept of feedback forms that have been distributed among all hostel inmates.

“Through these forms, students can evaluate their hostel on different parameters and can judge the performance of their wardens. They can also bring to the notice any anomaly they found and can suggest changes that they want in the administration,” a member of PUCSC told IANS.

“After going through these forms, we will submit them to the hostel wardens and top officials of the PU. This exercise will make the hostel warden more answerable and they have to submit their response to the VC (vice-chancellor) and DSW (dean students’ welfare),” he added.

There are 14 hostels in the PU campus (seven each for boys and girls) and each hostel can accommodate nearly 300 students.

Inmates of PU hostels are quite upbeat about this move and expect things to become more transparent and streamlined after this.

“We appreciate this step and welcome it with open hands. Till now only three-four students, who most of the times work under the pressure of hostel wardens, were involved while making crucial decisions regarding hostel. But now it seems that we are following the right path,” Mani Atwal, a student and a hostel inmate at PU, told IANS.

Harmanjit Singh Deol, a research scholar, who is staying in a PU hostel for the last seven years, said: “We can compare it with Right to Information Act. These feedback forms certainly intend to bring positive change in the system.”

PU, one of the oldest universities of the country, was established in 1882. There are over 10,000 students studying in the university campus and girls form the majority - nearly 70 percent - of total students.